UK's unhealthy food habits cost the nation £268 billion annually, report reveals

The UK's unhealthy food system comes with a staggering annual price tag of £268 billion, a report by the Food Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) has revealed. The report calculated the direct and indirect costs of diet-related ill health, including healthcare, social care, welfare spending, productivity losses, and the human consequences of chronic disease.

Breaking down the costs, the report attributes £67.5 billion to healthcare, £14.3 billion to social care, £10.1 billion to welfare, £116.4 billion to lost productivity, and £60 billion to the chronic disease linked to the current food ecosystem. According to Prof Tim Jackson, who led the analysis, "The connection between diet and health is often discussed, but the economics of that link are staggering."

He added, "When we factor in the health impacts, we discover that the true cost of an unhealthy diet is more than three times what we think we’re paying for our food."

READ MORE: Gateshead Quayside arena: Council urged to break silence on stalled plans for 'world class' venue

READ MORE: Newcastle Christmas Market food and drink prices as crowds turn out for launch day

The report also highlights the dominance of ultra-processed foods in the UK diet, making up over half of adult diets and almost two-thirds of adolescent diets, with the market expected to continue growing.

The report advocates for the right to healthy food to be enshrined in law, calls for regulation of the food environment to prevent harm, and suggests redirecting funds towards a healthier, greener, fairer, and more resilient new food economy. FFCC chief executive Sue Pritchard commented on the urgency of reforming the UK's food system, stating: "The state of the nation’s health is not simply the result of under-investment in the NHS. It represents the longstanding failure to take seriously the critical relationship between food and farming, health and inequalities."

She further noted: "As things are, big food companies are profiting from developing, making and marketing unhealthy food, leaving people with too many unhealthy options – while farmers struggle to make ends meet."

Earlier in the week, the Food Foundation charity highlighted how the food environment, including advertising, restaurant menus, and supermarket promotions, is influencing diets and "setting us up to fail".

Their annual State of the Nation’s Food Industry report referenced a 2022 study by the University of Liverpool which found that just five companies – Haribo, Mars, Mondelez, PepsiCo, and Kellogg’s – accounted for over 80% of snack and confectionery TV ads shown before 9pm, suggesting that the UK food system is "relentlessly" pushing consumers towards unhealthy choices.

The Government has confirmed that from October 1 next year, junk food adverts will be banned from being shown on TV before 9pm. This comes as part of an ongoing effort to combat childhood obesity, building on existing restrictions which already prevent these ads from appearing on children's channels or during children's programming.