Good food shouldn't be a luxury

Good food shouldn't be a luxury

By Rachael Musgrave, Director of Public Health, Wigan Council

A healthy diet is one of the most important foundations of a good life. It supports children's development, helps adults stay well, reduces pressure on health services and enables people to live longer, healthier lives.

Yet new evidence suggests that, for many families, healthy food is becoming increasingly out of reach.

Recent analysis from the Food Foundation found that the poorest households with children would need to spend as much as 85 per cent of their disposable income to afford a healthy diet. It also found that healthier food is now almost twice as expensive per calorie as less nutritious alternatives, with the gap at its widest level for more than a decade.

These figures are stark, but perhaps not surprising.

Every day, families across our borough are making difficult decisions about household budgets. When money is tight, people do not suddenly stop caring about health or nutrition. They simply do what any parent, carer or resident would do; they make the best choices they can with the resources available to them.

Too often, conversations about healthy lifestyles focus on personal responsibility alone. While individual choices matter, we must also recognise that choices are shaped by circumstances.

It is much harder to prioritise fresh fruit, vegetables and nutritious meals when household budgets are already stretched by rising costs and everyday pressures. When healthy options cost significantly more than less healthy alternatives, inequality becomes built into the system itself.

This matters because the consequences go far beyond diet alone.

The evidence consistently shows that people facing financial hardship experience poorer health outcomes. Food insecurity is linked to physical health problems, stress, anxiety and lower wellbeing. For children, it can affect educational attainment, concentration and long-term life chances. Locally, we know that only one-in-ten young people consume the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, while some families report running out of food before they have money to buy more.

That is why improving health cannot be separated from tackling inequality.

In Wigan Borough, our approach has always been rooted in prevention and recognising the wider building blocks of health. Health is influenced not only by the healthcare people receive, but by their housing, employment, income, relationships, environment and access to everyday essentials.

As our Progress with Unity approach recognises, lasting improvements in health come when we work alongside communities to address these underlying factors rather than focusing solely on the symptoms.

We are fortunate to have a strong network of organisations, community groups, schools, food support providers and volunteers who are helping residents access support when they need it.

Through initiatives such as Here for You, the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, family support services and targeted cost-of-living assistance, we continue to support residents experiencing financial pressure and help connect people to the right advice at the right time.

But this issue also challenges us to think bigger.

If we want to create healthier communities, we need environments that make healthy choices easier and more affordable. That means considering how food is priced, marketed and promoted, as well as ensuring that families have sufficient income to meet their basic needs without having to compromise on nutrition.

It means recognising that health and prosperity are deeply connected, and that creating opportunities for people to thrive requires action across many different parts of society.

The Food Foundation's findings are a reminder that health inequalities begin long before someone walks through the door of a GP surgery or hospital. They begin in our homes, our neighbourhoods and the everyday choices available to people.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to eat well and live well. Healthy food should never be a luxury reserved for those who can afford it.

As a borough, we will continue working with partners, communities and residents to build the conditions that allow everyone to flourish, regardless of their income or circumstances. Because when healthier lives become achievable for everyone, the whole community benefits.