Revealed as part of the Food Foundation’s latest Broken Plate report, the stark figure underlines the reality facing many families in the UK today after years of rampant grocery inflation.
In last year’s report, this number stood at 70% – and the Food Foundation is now warning that the price gap between healthier and less healthy food is at its widest in over a decade.
Sounding the alarm, the charity says that a healthy diet has now become unattainable for households with children in the lowest income fifth of the population, which equates to millions of UK families.
Strikingly, this data was gathered in 2025, before the joint American-Israeli intervention in Iran and the resulting global economic crisis.
Healthier food is now nearly twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy food, with foods high in fat, salt and/or sugar being the only group to have seen a drop in price in the last year.
Protein foods saw the largest annual increase in price at 4%, followed by fruit and vegetables at 1.7%.
The report also warns that as many as one in four places to buy food in England is now a fast-food outlet – rising to one in three in the most deprived areas.
And notably, the Food Foundation remarks, fruit and vegetables account for just 3% of traditional advertising food and non-alcoholic drink expenditure, while as many as 40% of food and non-alcoholic drink promotions are on foods high in fat, salt and/or sugar.
The report also highlights that only one in ten 11- to 18-year-olds eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, while 95% consume above recommended levels of free sugar.
To address these issues, the Food Foundation is calling for the rapid introduction of the prevention commitments in the government’s NHS 10 Year Health Plan, such as mandatory reporting of healthy sales for big businesses, without further delay.
“The Broken Plate report reveals that it is becoming increasingly difficult for struggling families to afford and access a healthy diet, despite promises from the Government to create the healthiest generation of children ever and reduce child poverty. This isn’t good enough,” said Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation.
“The government must press ahead with its commitments made in the 10-Year Plan, including the mandatory reporting of healthy sales by food businesses. Recent reports implied the government is considering delays to the health measures it promised only a year ago."
She continued: “This would be a grave mistake given the state of the UK’s food system, and the poor health suffered by its citizens. The government must take bold action now to fulfil its promises and ensure everyone can access the healthy and sustainable diet they deserve.”
The report also highlights the need for a support package for low-income families to afford healthy and sustainable food, including expansion of Healthy Start, as part of the response to cost-of-living pressures.
In its final recommendation, the charity calls for the introduction of a Good Food Bill to provide long-term nutritional security and protection for citizens and farmers alike.
Lynn Perry, CEO of Barnardo’s, added: “The food we eat during childhood has a significant impact. Yet in the UK, too many children and young people are missing out on nutritious meals, with serious consequences for their health both now and later in life.
“We know parents are making major sacrifices to ensure their children can eat as well as possible within their budgets. However, with the cost of everyday essentials remaining persistently high, healthy food is still out of reach for many families – and those living in poverty often face greater challenges in buying, preparing and accessing good food.
“With prices rising, we call on government to make sure that all children receive the nutrition they need regardless of their circumstances.”
