Cheap processed food has been linked to a surge in hospitalisations for health problems caused by a lack of essential vitamins. GPs are warning that for families on low incomes, processed foods high in sugar, salt and additives are now often cheaper than fresh meat, fruit and vegetables. New NHS data reveals a dramatic rise in people with a main diagnosis of anaemia - caused by lack of iron - and B vitamin deficiencies.
During 2023/24 there were 191,927 hospital admissions in England where the main reason was a lack of iron, up 11% on the previous year's 173,227. The 2023/24 figure is also up almost 10-fold on the 20,396 hospital admissions for a lack of iron in 1998/99.
For B vitamin deficiency there were 2,630 admissions in 2023/24 where this was the main reason, up 15% on the 2,236 in 2022/23 and more than triple the 833 in 1998/1999. Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia led to 3,490 hospital admissions in 2023/24, similar to the previous year, but up four-fold from 836 in 1998/99.
Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: "We have seen fresh, healthier foods spike in price over the last few years, making a nutritious diet increasingly unaffordable for some, while 'fast foods' are cheap, are filling and easy to access, but are low in nutritious content. GPs are on the front line of this public health crisis, caring for patients who are experiencing the health consequences of growing deprivation.
"A recent survey of our members found that 74% of GPs have seen an increase in the number of presentations linked to poverty over the past year. It is unacceptable that a developed nation like the UK should see an increase in the number of conditions that can be linked to poverty and poor nutrition and yet this is the reality.".
