Feeding inequality: The nutrition price gap that’s costing our kids their health

Houston, we've got a problem. In fact, we've got a very big problem that the current and future UK government need to pay attention to right now, because it could cost us big in the future.

Families are too poor to eat healthy food. Maybe this isn't headline news to some people, but the actual statistics are shocking.

This morning I read the The Food Foundation's annual Broken Plate report (don't worry, I'll link it in the comments). And I sat here shaking my head, not necessarily surprised, but mortified on behalf of our country.

The headline statistic is this: "Households with children in the lowest income fifth of the population would have to spend 85% of their disposable income to adored the government recommended healthy diet" (up from 70% 2 years ago).

We've all noticed the price of the weekly food shop go up, but nowhere is this more obvious than in whole foods. You know, the food that actually contains nutrition, that fuels our bodies properly, that helps us to stay healthy. Reports show that the cost of chicken has soared by as much as 90% per kilo in some sectors. Meanwhile, the cost of fresh vegetables has risen by around 39% on average, and don't even get me started on fruit.

All the while, shrinkflation means that we're actually getting even less than before, but still paying more. I'm sorry, but I'm firmly of the opinion that healthy food shouldn't be a luxury.

I'll say it louder for those of you at the back.

HEALTHY FOOD SHOULDN'T BE A LUXURY

Yet the Broken Plate report shows that the price gap between healthy and less healthy food is at its widest in a decade, and this sh*tshow economy means that we can't expect that to go down anytime soon.

But there's a wider cost at play too. The cost to our health, and that of our kids as well as the longer term cost to the NHS. Research shows that poor nutrition is a leading preventable risk factor for ill health, and contributes towards 2-22% of adult deaths. Obesity. Type 2 diabetes. Heart disease. High cholesterol. The list keeps growing. Childhood obesity is rising at an unprecedented rate, and being unable to afford healthy food is only going to fuel this pandemic.

Meanwhile, some supermarkets are reporting massive profits (looking at you Sainsburys with your predicted total underlying profit for the next 12 months sitting upwards of £975 million.

Surely I can't be alone in thinking that the UK government needs to do more NOW to try and get on top of food prices in the UK, to protect the current and long-term health of our population?