Poorer families buying less fruit and veg with three million children in food poverty, report finds

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Poorer families are buying less fruit and greens than regular as they wrestle to afford primary requirements, new analysis has discovered.

Data from The Food Foundation charity has proven that 60 per cent of food insecure households surveyed final month mentioned they’re buying less fruit than they do often. Some 44 per cent additionally mentioned they had been buying fewer vegetables than regular in January 2024.

This compares to 11 per cent of families who’re classed as food safe saying they’re slicing again on fruit, and 6 per cent who are slicing again on greens.

Boris Johnson’s former food tsar Henry Dimbleby mentioned that, whereas inflation is subsiding, “the situation is still dire” for tens of millions of children and their struggling families. He additionally mentioned the dearth of wholesome food was a “health emergency”.

To assess whether or not folks had been food insecure, researchers requested folks whether or not they had skipped or had smaller meals as a result of they couldn’t afford them. They requested if they’d been hungry and not eaten as a result of they couldn’t afford or get entry to food, and requested if they’d not eaten for an entire day due to this.

If they met these standards, then they had been classed as food insecure. The Food Foundation discovered that in January 2024, 15 per cent of UK households had been dwelling in food insecurity – equal to eight million adults and three million children.

Twenty per cent of families with children had been dwelling in food insecurity, the survey discovered. The ranges of food poverty are twice as excessive as they had been in 2021, the charity discovered.

Households struggling with food payments additionally reported buying less fish, dairy and eggs.

Although food inflation is now falling, costs are nonetheless excessive in comparison with 2021. The worth of a median weekly food store has elevated by 24-26 per cent since April 2022, in accordance with the charity’s primary basket tracker.

An common weekly food basket for a person has gone up from £43.52 to £54.64 and from £40.96 to £50.77 for a lady.

This echoes current information from the Office for National Statistics, which discovered that 4 in 10 adults surveyed on the finish of January 2024 mentioned they had been buying less food when purchasing in the final two weeks.

The rising price of food was essentially the most generally reported motive amongst 49 per cent of adults who mentioned their dwelling bills had risen in contrast with a month in the past, the ONS discovered.

Added to this, round one in 25 adults reported that their family had run out of food and couldn’t afford to purchase extra in the previous two weeks, in accordance evaluation of ONS information from October 2023 to the top of the yr.

Anna Taylor, govt director at The Food Foundation, mentioned: “Often products with the worst health credentials that are high in fat, salt and sugar, or ultra-processed are the cheapest option for those who are struggling to afford food to feed themselves or their families.

“We’ve seen that for this group, fruit and veg is often the first thing to be sacrificed.”

Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, mentioned that the info was “deeply worrying”, including: “When I talk to parents, they already know what food will provide their children with the best nutrition – but so many consistently report how expensive it is to buy fruit and veg.

“Parents are often left with no option other than to buy cheaper highly processed food that is high in both salt and sugar. 

“Child health outcomes are worsening across the board and I have no doubt that food scarcity and subsequent poor nutrition play a big role in this.”

Mr Dimbleby, writer of the National Food Strategy, added: “Even though inflation is subsiding, it remains much more expensive than it was. The situation is still dire with three million children living in households that are cutting back on fruit and veg. This is a health emergency which will leave a long shadow on public health into the future.”

Survey outcomes additionally confirmed that 45 per cent of households in receipt of common credit score reported not having sufficient cash to feed themselves correctly. Food insecurity was additionally highest in disabled households, single-parent properties and ethnic minorities.

The Food Foundation surveyed over 6,000 adults.