Poorest fifth of UK would need to spend 45% of disposable income to afford healthy diet
The poorest fifth of the UK would need to spend almost half their disposable income on food to achieve the government's recommended healthy diet, a new report has found.
It comes alongside a warning that healthier food is getting more expensive at twice the rate of less healthy options, with food that is lower in fat, salt and sugar now twice as expensive per calorie as its less nutritious counterparts.
It means the most deprived fifth of the population would need to spend 45% of their disposable income on food to achieve a government-recommended healthy diet.
This rose to 70% of disposable income for those in households with children.
This figure has fallen from the peak seen during the cost of living crisis, in 2021 to 2022, when the most deprived fifth needed to spend 50% of their disposable income to achieve a healthy diet - but it remains higher than 2020 to 2021's figure of 43%.
The Broken Plate report also found more than a third (37%) of supermarket promotions on food and non-alcoholic drinks were for unhealthy items.
As for advertising, more than a third (36%) of ads were for confectionary, snacks, desserts and soft drinks, compared to just 2% for fruit and vegetables.
Fast food and tooth decay
The study revealed more than a quarter (26%) of places to buy food England are fast food outlets - and in the most deprived areas, it's nearly one in three.
Deprived groups were much more likely to be affected by type 2 diabetes, with those in the most deprived fifth of the population almost three times as likely to experience a lower limb amputation than the least deprived in 2022.
Children in their last year of primary school in the most deprived areas were also more than twice as likely to have experienced tooth decay in their adult teeth - 23% compared to 10% in the least deprived areas.
Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said: "The Broken Plate report sadly shows that our food system is failing to provide large swathes of the population with the basic nutrition needed for them to stay healthy and thrive.
"There is a tragic imbalance in the UK between the food that is marketed, available and affordable, and foods that are healthy and sustainable. Often it is the most vulnerable children in our society who suffer the worst consequences of this."Lack of nutrition can lead to serious health conditions, she said, and can cause children to be unable to concentrate in school and have a lasting impact on mental health.
Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner said: "The Food Foundation's Broken Plate report highlights important issues with the UK's food system, with unhealthy diets driving obesity levels.
"That is why we will introduce a cross-government food strategy to ensure our food system can continue to feed the nation, realise its potential for economic growth, protect the planet, and nourish individuals."
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