Healthier food grows more expensive at twice rate of unhealthy options – report
Healthier food grows more expensive at twice rate of unhealthy options – report
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Healthier food grew more expensive at twice the rate of less healthy options in the UK over the last two years, a study has found. Food that is lower in fat, salt and sugar is now more than twice as expensive per calorie than less healthy products, according to the Food Foundation’s annual Broken Plate report.
The most deprived fifth of the population would need to spend 45% of their disposable income on food to afford the government-recommended healthy diet, rising to 70% for these households that also have children, researchers found. The overall figure has fallen from the peak of the cost-of-living crisis in 2021-2022 – when the most deprived fifth needed to spend 50% to achieve a healthy diet – but remains higher than the previous year’s figure of 43%.
The study found more than a third (37%) of supermarket promotions on food and non-alcoholic drinks are for unhealthy items, and a quarter (26%) of places to buy food in England are fast-food outlets, rising to nearly one in three in the most deprived fifth of areas.
Meanwhile, more than a third (36%) of food and soft drink advertising spending is on confectionery, snacks, deserts and soft drinks, compared to just 2% for fruit and vegetables. While children across all income groups are eating significantly more unhealthy food than is recommended for good health, children in the most deprived fifth of the population were found to be nearly twice as likely to be living with obesity as those in the least deprived fifth by their first year of school.
