Budget issues ‘making it hard for people to eat healthily’

A significant proportion of people in the UK are struggling to eat healthily as a result of financial difficulties.

This is according to a new survey from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which revealed that two-thirds of people in the UK wish they could eat more healthily, but 42 percent are unable to because it is too expensive.

With food prices having risen nearly twice as fast as rent in the last five years, two in five people admit to having to trade off healthiness for lower cost when doing their grocery shopping, with those in the lowest income bracket being hit hardest.

The findings demonstrate the need to provide people with guidance on how to eat healthily on a budget, as well as casting light on the impact of the economic downturn on public health.

Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the BHF, said: "Healthy eating on a budget is one of the biggest challenges of our times. With the increasing cost of a weekly shopping basket, it's a real concern that despite people's best intentions, they're struggling to eat healthily."

The government has launched a number of initiatives in recent years to help encourage healthy eating, many of which have been run through the overarching Change4Life campaign.