The House of Lords has today appointed a new special inquiry
Committee to consider the links between inequality, public health
and food sustainability.
The poorest 10% of the UK population would have
to spend nearly three quarters of their disposable income on food
in order to eat according to the Government’s healthy eating
guidelines. Unhealthy foods are three times cheaper than
healthier options and in the poorest communities over one third
of the places to buy food are fast food
outlets.
Unhealthy diets lead to long term health
problems as well as being bad for the environment. Children
growing up in our poorest communities are twice as likely to be
obese by age 5 and are shorter by age 11 than those in the least
deprived communities. Furthermore, unhealthy foods are
highly processed and therefore have a high environmental
footprint.
It is estimated that by 2050, £9.7 billion of NHS
money will be spent on health issues arising from being
overweight or obese, with wider costs to society estimated to
reach £49.9 billion per year. And at the same time many are going
hungry. The Committee will consider how a healthier
and more environmentally sustainable diet can be made accessible
to everyone.
Chairman of the Committee, , said:
“In a rich country such as the UK it is shocking that
many people, including young children, cannot afford to eat a
healthy diet, which will condemn them to long term health
problems. How has this been allowed to happen?
“Our inquiry will explore a range of diet related
issues facing all ages in order to ascertain how our diets can be
made sustainable, affordable and healthy. Food, poverty, health
and the environment all intersect so we will be looking at what
role central and local government as well as the food industry
and others have in contributing to food inequality and the
problems it causes".
Committee membership:
Baroness Jay of
Paddington
[Chairman]
