The report aims to reveal trends that are impacting the UK’s food system and highlight the actions needed from policymakers to ensure that everyone can afford a healthy and sustainable diet.
A spokesperson for the Food Foundation said: “This year's publication highlights that 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.”
The Broken Plates report found the most deprived fifth of the population needs to spent 45% of their disposable income on food to afford the Government recommended healthy diet. This rises to 70% for households with children.
A quarter of all food outlets in England are fast food businesses. This number rises to nearly one in three businesses in the most deprived areas. The Broken Plates report also found:
- Appeal: Over a third (37%) of supermarket promotions on food and non-alcoholic drinks are for unhealthy food.
- Availability: Only 3% of breakfast cereals and 5% of yogurts marketed to children are low in sugar.
- Price & affordability: More sustainable, plant-based milk alternatives in supermarkets are on average 55% more expensive than dairy milk.
- Diet quality: On average, children consume less than half the recommended amount of fruit and veg but twice the recommended amount of sugar.
- Environmental outcomes: While UK emissions for the whole economy fell by 38% between 2008 and 2022, emissions from the food system fell by just 17% over the same period of time.
- Health outcomes: The number of diabetes-related lower-limb amputations increased by 68% since 2009.