Summarising The Food Foundation’s
The Food Foundation is an independent charity working to address challenges in the food system, in the interests of the UK public. Our food environment should allow us to have access to healthy and sustainable food for us all.
As a nation, we know that eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables alongside reducing our intake of foods in salt, sugar, and fat (HFSS) is best practice for a healthy diet, and yet some of us don’t follow this. Diet-related diseases are at unprecedented levels as our food system is unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable. However, the system can evolve to support diets that are healthy for us. To help this shift, the foods we should eat more of needs to be appealing, affordable and easily available, as these are the main three key drivers influencing our dietary choices.
The cost of food is big barrier to eating a healthy diet, with the poorest fifth of UK households needing to spend 47% of their disposable income on food to meet the Eatwell Guide. This compares to 11% of the fifth richest of the UK. Healthy food is nearly three times as expensive per calorie than less healthy foods. Those with lower incomes are more likely to rely on marketed deals and convenience packaged foods to eat. The evidence from research clearly shows that for many, a healthy diet is not attainable. To allow everyone to eat well, food prices need to be balanced allowing sustainable food to be within everyone’s means.
Having healthy and sustainable food that is easy to access is the next key driver in moving towards an improved food system. We are all more likely to eat food that is convenient and readily available, which in our supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, and takeaways tend to be products high in fat, sugar, and salt, with a lack of fruit and vegetables. Due to the pandemic, we are seeing a rise in fast-food outlets become easier to access (an average of 1 in 4 of all food outlets across England). In high street retail settings, 71% of sandwiches available to purchase contain processed meat or fish and only 29% use plant-based alternatives and limited fruit and vegetables. Plant-based options tend to be the most expensive despite being environmentally friendly. To support the accessibility, local authorities should authorise their powers to promote local food and support retailers in demonstrating that they will provide alternatives.
Making our food appealing relies on many factors such as advertising, packaging, sponsorship, labelling and packaging. Advertising affects our perceptions of food and brands, where companies spend millions on campaigns across the UK. 1% of advertising spent on food and soft drinks goes towards fruit and vegetables, whereas 32% is on unhealthy food products. As an average, a young person under 18 years will be exposed to 15 billion online advertisement impressions for hfss foods every year.
The UK’s food system is not set up to allow people to eat in a manner that is sustainable and nutritious. Government policy and businesses need to adapt to facilitate the Eatwell Guide recommendations for healthy diet. If the food system continues as it is, by 2050 emissions from the food system will be four times higher than the level that is required to met net zero. The government need to initiate a greater focus on policy to achieve the required changes in our food system.
Follow Fran on Twitter @FV_Nutrition.
To keep up to date with what´s going on in town, feel free to join our Facebook group by clicking here
0 comments on “Flourish With Fran Sept 22: The Broken Plate”