Healthy Eating Gets Crunched By Credit Crunch Says Which?
A new Which? survey has revealed that the credit crunch may be curbing people's efforts to eat healthily.
Although four out of five people want to follow a healthy diet, the current economic climate is yet another barrier to good intentions.
Based on survey responses, around 28 million UK adults would say that price has become more important when choosing foods since the financial downturn. Nearly three in five agreed that they would buy more fruit and vegetables if they were cheaper, and almost a quarter said that the economic crisis had made healthier eating less of a priority.
The research comes as Which? launches Hungry For Change?, a report that reviews the Which? healthy eating campaign and looks at the efforts of UK governments and the food industry to help consumers make healthier choices over the last five years.
Despite an intense amount of debate about obesity and diet, 76% of people still think the government needs to take action to make it easier to choose healthier options. Consumers also want more action from manufacturers, retailers and caterers.
Although there's still a lot to be done to tackle the growing obesity problem in the UK, there have been some positive initiatives, such as government-led salt reduction targets and improvements in the quality of school meals.
Speaking at the launch of Hungry for Change, Sue Davies, Which?’s chief policy adviser, said: "People want to make healthier choices, but it’s not easy. As the credit crunch bites, it’s important that government and industry aren’t distracted. They can’t be allowed to put the fight against obesity on hold.
"We want to see a dramatic increase in the pace of action in all areas, so barriers to healthy eating can be removed and people can at last put their good intentions into practice."
However, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that Which? was wrong to say price was a barrier to people eating well.
BRC contends that retailers have been leading from the front on healthy eating for years, offering customers nutritious food at affordable prices and providing extensive information to help them make healthier choices.
Reacting to theWhich? report Hungry for Change? the BRC said Which? is wrong to suggest price is a barrier to healthy eating.
Indeed the Food Standards Agency’s ‘Low Income Diet and Nutrition Survey’ found no significant link between income and dietary patterns. That demonstrates intense competition between UK retailers is making healthy food affordable for families of all incomes and education is the key to improving eating patterns.
The BRC pointed out that home cooking is currently increasing as customers buy more fresh ingredients and use retailers’ tips to improve their cooking skills.
British Retail Consortium Food Policy Director Andrew Opie said: “It’s nonsense to suggest price is a barrier to eating well. Which? is actually discouraging customers from exploring healthy eating choices by pushing the myth that fresh fruit and veg. are expensive. Customers should look beyond scare headlines, get into supermarkets and see just how affordable good fresh food is.
“Fresh produce is the main focus of promotions as retailers battle it out to offer customers the best possible value.
“Retailers have also re-formulated products, for example to reduce salt and remove fats; they are providing customers with more nutritional information than they’ve ever had - not just on labels - and working with government on initiatives such as the ‘5-a-day’ fruit and veg. campaign.
“But food is only one element of the obesity equation. Factors such as exercise and education are also important.”
Retailers’ healthier eating initiatives fall into three main categories:
Product development – All the leading UK food retailers have developed healthy eating ranges which include foods lower in fat, sugar and salt. They continue to reformulate products, further reducing levels in all their ranges. They have voluntarily eliminated industrially added trans-fats from all own brand lines.
Nutritional labeling – Retailers have led Europe on front-of-pack labeling, making it easier for consumers to compare products and eat more healthily.
Communicating with consumers and government – Retailers are working with suppliers, the Department of Health, the UK’s devolved governments and the Food Standards Agency to communicate messages such as the ‘5-a-day’ fruit and vegetable, salt reduction and sensible drinking recommendations - aimed at influencing consumers’ dietary choices.
Responding to Which?’s ‘Hungry for Change’ report, Julian Hunt, of Food and Drink Federation, says: “UK food and drink manufacturers have made a massive contribution to improving the health of the nation and are widely acknowledged to be leading the world in terms of our response to many of the key debates that have been raging since 2004.
“Our members are helping consumers make healthier choices through a combination of recipe changes, the development of ‘better for you’ options and improved nutrition information on packs.
“The recession is clearly making life difficult for our sector, but we see no evidence to suggest this is causing a ‘health crunch’. Our members will not be distracted from their groundbreaking work in this area, nor will they slow their efforts to keep providing consumers with what they want – nutritious, tasty food at affordable prices.”
A new Which? survey has revealed that the credit crunch may be curbing people's efforts to eat healthily.