The poorest families with children must now spend 85% of their disposable income just to afford a healthy diet, according to the Food Foundation’s annual Broken Plate report – a 15 percentage point leap since last year that campaigners say exposes a broken promise from ministers.
Healthy food is nearly twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy alternatives, the study found, while foods high in fat, salt and sugar were the only group to see a price drop over the past 12 months. Protein foods rose by 4%, the largest annual increase, followed by fruit and vegetables at 1.7%. The data was gathered before the Middle East conflict escalated, meaning pressure on household budgets is likely to intensify.
“Poorest families with children must spend 85% of disposable income to afford a healthy diet, up 15 points since 2024.”
For households in the lowest income fifth of the UK population, spending 49% of disposable income – up four percentage points since 2024 – would be needed to follow the Government-recommended Eatwell Guide diet. With children in the home, that figure jumps to 85%, a stark illustration of how inequality is baked into the food system.
Fast-food outlets now account for a quarter of all places to buy food in England, rising to more than one in three in the most deprived areas. Meanwhile, only one in 10 people aged 11 to 18 eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, while 95% consume more than the recommended amount of free sugar, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
“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,” said Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation. “This isn’t good enough.”
Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry said parents are making “major sacrifices” but that “healthy food is still out of reach for many families”. She added: “With prices rising, we call on government to make sure that all children receive the nutrition they need regardless of their circumstances.”
The Food Foundation is urging ministers to introduce mandatory reporting by businesses of healthy food sales, a support package including expansion of the Healthy Start scheme for low-income families, and a Good Food Bill to provide long-term “nutritional security and protection” for consumers and farmers.
Whether the Government will act on those demands – and how families already at the edge can bridge a gap that is widening by the year – remains unclear.