Half of Food-Insecure Households Cut Back on Fresh Produce, Reveals Food Foundation Report

New data shows that millions of people across the UK are still facing food insecurity and families are sacrificing nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables because of financial concerns, leading to calls for the government to commit to halving UK food insecurity in its upcoming Child Poverty Strategy. 

The Roadmap to Reducing Food Insecurity in the UK report, from influential national charity The Food Foundation, indicates that food insecurity in the UK has remained stubbornly high over the last half decade, 

One in 10 households are still affected (or 11%), which rises to one in seven households with children (15%). 

Of all food insecure households, 64% report cutting back on fruit (versus 14% of food-secure households) while 50% said they cut back on vegetables (vs. 8% of food-secure households) because they were worried about money. 

However, the study found that more than three quarters of the population (78%) said they would eat more healthy food if these items were more affordable. 

Food Inflation Decreases But Prices Remain High

As food prices remain stubbornly high, families are being forced to make difficult choices about what goes on their plates. 

The latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) finds that the price of groceries is still going up, albeit more slowly than before. 

Inflation for food and non-alcoholic has slowed for the first time since March, easing at 4.5% in September, down from 5.1% in August.

For fresh produce, the price of vegetables experienced a small downturn, alongside milk, cheese, eggs, bread, cereals, fish, mineral waters, soft drinks and juices. Fruit was up by 1.5%.

The Food Foundation’s Basic Basket Tracker, which measures the weekly price of a basket of food for an adult male and adult female as part of a reasonably-costed, adequately-nutritious diet, shows that from April 2022 to October 2025 the price of a woman’s basket (non Clubcard) has risen by 27.4% to £52.19 per week, and the price of a man’s basket (non Clubcard) has risen by 30.1% to £56.66 per week. 

This illustrates how despite lower levels of inflation, food prices remain much higher than before the cost of living crisis.

Food Insecurity is a Political Choice 

The Food Foundation is calling on the government to pledge to halve UK food insecurity levels as part of its Child Poverty Strategy, including setting a target to halve levels of food insecurity, removing the two-child limit, and strengthening nutritional safety net schemes that support low-income families.

While levels of food insecurity have been persistently “too high” for the past five years, the report said they have risen and fallen “quite dramatically” over that time; fluctuating from 7% of the population to 18% of the population.

This demonstrates that levels can be quickly reduced or increased depending on the policy choices made by government in response to external factors, according to the authors. 

Describing food insecurity as a “political choice”, Shona Goudie, Policy and Advocacy Manager at The Food Foundation said: “These fluctuations reflect external events, but also policy measures taken by the government. The government must use its forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy to commit to halve the number of children experiencing food insecurity. 

“The government must demonstrate its commitment to tackling this issue by setting clear targets to protect people from food insecurity and building national resilience,” Goudie added.

Roadmap’s Recommendations

1. Ensure wage and benefits levels factor in the cost of a healthy diet.

2. Strengthen nutritional safety net schemes that support low-income children – including expanding the ‘Healthy Start’ scheme to all families on Universal Credit, and introducing a national auto-enrolment of ‘Free School Meals’.

3. Rebalance the cost of the food basket to make healthy food the more affordable option – including introducing a tax on unhealthy food to subsidise healthy diets following in the successful footsteps of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

4. Support local authorities to address food insecurity in their communities through monitoring and social infrastructure. 

5. Establish a threshold for levels of household food insecurity that triggers emergency measures when crossed.

Read the full report here.