Too many people in the UK lack the financial means to access decent food and that much of the food readily available and marketed to us is damaging our health and the planet.
A report out this morning from the Food Foundation finds that Healthier foods are more than twice as expensive per calorie than less healthy foods and less available
Their research also says that 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 households with children.
To afford the government-recommended healthy diet, the most deprived fifth of the population would need to spend 45%
of their disposable income on food, rising to 70% for those households with children.
Meanwhile a quarter of all food outlets in England are fast-food businesses rising to nearly one in three in the most deprived areas.
Furthermore the report found that over third of supermarket promotions on food and non- alcoholic drinks are for unhealthy food and overca third of food and soft drink advertising spend is on confectionery, snacks, desserts and soft drinks, compared to just 2% on fruit and veg.
Children from the most deprived fifth of households consume 20 per cent less fruit and vegetables than those from the wealthiest fifth, and are nearly twice as likely to be obese.
Deprived groups are also much more likely to be affected by type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.
Anna Taylor, of the Food Foundation, said: “Our 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.
