By Genevieve Hadida, Research Assistant at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
The deterioration of health in the UK is of increasing concern, particularly for children, who are one of the most vulnerable populations. Poor nutrition in early life can have lifelong consequences, potentially limiting development while increasing the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. For many families, however, one of the biggest obstacles to providing children with the nutritious foods they need is affordability.
This has worsened in the context of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Food inflation and rising household expenses are pushing nutritious, balanced diets out of reach for many families. Food insecurity rates, especially in households with children, have risen sharply in the UK over the last few years. Whilst we are now seeing some reduction in this, rates remain high, with our most recent analysis showing that 18% of households with children are experiencing food insecurity, compared to 11% of those without.
To help quantify the scale of the issue, we wanted to understand just how much of a financial strain families are facing in trying to follow the UK’s Eatwell Guide, the government recommended diet. In July 2024 we analysed this cost and estimate that for households in the poorest fifth of the UK population, those with children would need to spend 70% of their disposable income to meet the Eatwell Guide’s recommendations. In contrast, households without children in the poorest fifth of the population would need to spend 42% of their disposable income (Figure 1). This vast disparity illustrates the immense challenge that families with children face in affording a healthy, balanced diet, but also emphasises the unfeasible proportional cost for many households, regardless of their composition.
Figure 1: Percentage of disposable income required to afford the Eatwell Guide by income quintile
As the cost of living continues to rise and we approach the winter months, the most vulnerable families are having to make painful trade-offs between essential expenses like heating and providing adequate, nutritious food for their children. This growing gap between dietary recommendations and what people can actually afford to eat calls for urgent policy intervention. Expanding food voucher schemes such as Healthy Start, Free School Meals, subsidising healthy foods, and increasing incomes for low income families could help alleviate the burden on families and ensure that all children, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to grow up healthy and thrive. Addressing the affordability of healthy food is critical to safeguarding the future health of the UK’s children – and getting diets right for children is a massive opportunity that we must grasp to reverse current health trends.
The analysis featured in this short article was the result of a partnership between The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and The Food Foundation. You can read more about the necessary policy actions in the Food Foundation’s report here.
——————————————————————-
This article is featured in our 2 October newsletter.
Want to hear about the latest poverty research, stories and events?
Stay on top of what you need to know. Sign up to our newsletter and join our powerful network of 3.5k+ professionals, volunteers and individuals actively engaged in tackling poverty across the UK.
