A new report published today, ‘Your Place at the Table’, reveals the worrying scale of food insecurity in the UK, with 7.2 million households struggling to afford healthy meals.
The report, by FoodCycle, a charity that, like EFA, ‘rescues’ surplus food and provides it to community groups, in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, reveals that the poorest 20% of households would need to spend 50% of their disposable income to meet the government-recommended healthy eating guidelines. Conversely, the wealthiest households would only need to spend 11% of their disposable income, pointing to the fact that, for many, healthy eating is fast becoming an unaffordable luxury.
Another report, The Broken Plate, published last week by the Food Foundation, revealed that 1,000 calories of healthy food, such as fresh vegetables and fruit, currently costs £8.80, with the same calorie count of processed food costing only £4.30.
Both reports highlight that too many people lack the financial means to access decent food and that much of the food readily available and marketed to us is damaging our health and the planet.
Your Place at the Table: view/download the full report via this link.
The Broken Plate: view/download the full report via this link.