Affordable fresh food is the recipe for a healthy Britain | Letter

Vic Harper on why the government should ensure better access to fresh food

Your article on UK food prices being on track to be 50% higher by November 2026 (4 May), read alongside your editorial on unhealthy Britain (3 May) describes a single story from two ends. Food has become unaffordable and the households absorbing those price rises are getting sicker.

By the time poor health shows up in the data, families have been cutting food quality, quantity and variety for years. The Bread and Butter Thing runs affordable food clubs from Maidstone to Northumberland, supporting more than 10,000 households each week. Last week alone, 439 new members joined our network. Our 2025 survey of more than 8,500 members shows the mechanism playing out. Among households with £0-£25 left each month after housing and energy bills, 87% describe their overall health as not good.