A government report has revealed that families on low incomes do not eat any worse a diet than the rest of the population.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found that, contrary to popular belief, nutrition, access to food and cooking skills are not much different in poorer families.
Public health experts have labelled the results as “surprising”, but said they showed that the nation as a whole is not eating as healthily as it should be.
The report faced up to concerns that those on the lowest incomes were eating very poorly, and faced more barriers to healthy eating.
But the survey of 3,500 people found that although low-income families were not eating very well, neither was the rest of the nation.
Some 80 per cent of those polled said they shopped mainly at a large supermarket and most had good cooking and storage facilities at home. Around 91 per cent of women and 64 per cent of men in the study claimed to be able to “cook from basic ingredients”.
Areas of diet that were highlighted as cause for concern in the survey were fruit and veg consumption and intake of sugar, especially in drinks.
Levels of obesity were found to be very high, with 62 per cent of men, 63 per cent of women, 35 per cent of boys and 34 per cent of girls either overweight or obese - but the FSA said this mirrors high levels within the general UK population.
The survey found higher levels of smoking and alcohol consumption among citizens on lower incomes, together with lower levels of activity, than the rest of the population.
Rosemary Hignett, head of nutrition at the FSA, said: “The encouraging news from this research is that the gap between the diets of people on low incomes and those of the rest of the population is not as big as some feared. It is also positive that most people in this group say they feel confident about their cooking skills, have reasonable kitchen facilities and access to large supermarkets.
“However, the bad news is that this group - like the general population - are not eating as healthily as they could be. Small changes to diet can make a big difference to health, so we urge everyone to think about the food they and their family are eating.”
Dr Alan Maryon Davis, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said the results were surprising as experts had always thought the gap was bigger, although he added that if the results were compared with those in the most affluent sixth of the population there would probably be greater difference.”
BRC director general Kevin Hawkins said: “This report confirms that British retailers have made healthy food accessible to families of all incomes. Over the past thirty years consumers have spent less and less of their weekly income on food. Today an average trolley of food from the supermarket costs seven per cent less in real terms than it did in 2000 and 15 per cent less than in 1990. Customers have a bigger food choice, including more healthy options than ever. Educating consumers about what to do with that choice is now the key to improving the nation’s diet.
“Retailers are already doing a great deal. As well as offering significant price reductions on fresh fruit and vegetables they support healthy eating initiatives like the FIVE A DAY fruit and veg campaign and the FSA’s reduced salt consumption targets. They are reformulating products and have developed the most informative food labels in Europe, providing British consumers with the nutritional information they need to make smart choices about what they eat. Retailers will continue to invest in improving the nation’s health.”
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