In his latest annual report, the chief medical officer for England has concluded that the food environment in parts of England’s cities do not offer residents access to healthy and affordable food.
Combined with a proliferation of unhealthy food advertising, he says this is setting up children and adults to live shorter and unhealthier lives.
According to Whitty, people experiencing food insecurity are at higher risk of being diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions such as heart disease, chronic pain and mental ill health.
This is most prevalent in areas of deprivation within English cities.
Limited access to larger supermarkets within these areas often means that healthier options can come with even higher price tags. Meanwhile, the density of fast-food outlets is higher.
People living in poverty are, therefore, more likely to have diets that are high in sugar, fat and salt (HFSS), and low in fruit, vegetables and whole grains than more affluent communities.
“Cities provide great opportunities for a healthier life but many, especially in areas of deprivation, have poor access to healthy food choices, exercise and are exposed to air pollution. These are soluble problems,” said Whitty, who has made several recommended more improvements including a sugar tax and healthy sales reporting.
Recent research from Bite Back and the University of Cambridge has rung alarm bells in general around ‘big food’ chains and their proximity with schools in the UK.
The ‘Big Food & Our Communities: Where are food chains expanding?’ report revealed a 59% increase in major food outlets since 2014, with almost 3,500 schools in Great Britain now within 400 metres of a major food outlet.
UK food security worsens due to climate change
These findings come at the same time Defra’s Food Security report has highlighted a ‘notable decrease’ in food secure households in the UK.
The Defra report showed that the proportion of food secure households declined from 92% in financial year ending (FYE) 2020 to 90% in FYE 2023.
It also showed that the likelihood of food insecurity intensified among those with disabilities, with 84% of households with disabled people classified as food secure compared to 94% for households without in FYE 2023.
While no income group meets dietary recommendations, the report also revealed that the poorest 10% of the UK population eat, on average, 42% less fruits and vegetables than recommended, compared to the richest who eat 13% less.
The last Food Security Report (2021) pointed to the affects of climate change and environmental damage as the biggest threat to UK food security, and this year’s report highlights the impact severe weather conditions have had on our food system.
“It will come as little surprise to UK growers and horticultural farmers that there was a 13% reduction in domestic vegetable production between 2021 and 2023, while fruit production dropped by 12% between 2022 and 2023,” the Food Foundation’s public affairs lead Joss MacDonald said.
“Both of these drops were caused by increasingly wet Springs and highlight the need for horticulture to play a significant part in a food strategy to support British farmers and increase both production and consumption of locally grown fruit, vegetables and pulses.”
