The eagerly anticipated report by the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee has called for government action to address the ‘ticking time bomb’ of obesity and the ‘urgent problem’ of food insecurity.
Among its central recommendation for a comprehensive, cross-governmental food strategy, the Committee emphasised the need for interventions that make healthy food like fruit and veg more affordable and accessible to all, with a particular focus on supporting families on low incomes. This included recommendations to:
Maximise the impact of the Healthy Start Scheme by increasing the uptake and value and expanding eligibility.
The committee urged the Government to immediately review the costs and benefits of extending the eligibility for the Healthy Start scheme to all families earning under £20,000 per year and increasing the value of Healthy Start payments to reflect increases in the prices of fruit, vegetables and milk. They also called for the Government to enable auto-enrolment of the scheme and implement effective ways of encouraging eligible households to take up the scheme.
Introduce measures to make healthier food more affordable
The Committee recommended that Government urgently commission a comprehensive review of evidence-based interventions to make healthier food options, such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, more affordable, including targeted measures to support people on low incomes.
Regularly monitor and publish the cost of a healthy diet
The Committee recommended that the Government publishes quarterly estimates of the cost of a weekly healthy food basket, which should be reported to Parliament.
We were thrilled to see our Rose Voucher for Fruit & Veg projects featured in the report as examples of local innovation to address food insecurity and improve access and affordability of healthy food.
Our Chief Executive Jonathan Pauling had this to say:
“We warmly welcome the recommendations of the Food, Diet and Obesity Committee’s inquiry and are particularly pleased by the urgent call for Government action to make healthy food more affordable and accessible. At Alexandra Rose Charity, we have spent over a decade helping families on low incomes access fresh fruit and veg in their local community and see firsthand the transformative impact this has on their health and wellbeing.
We were thrilled to host the Committee at our Fruit & Veg on Prescription project at the Bromley By Bow Centre during the inquiry, and we are delighted that our work is highlighted in the report. The findings clearly underscore the importance of addressing food affordability and building a food system that supports health, rather than undermine it.
By implementing these recommendations, the Government has a real opportunity to create lasting change—ensuring that healthier food options, particularly fresh fruit and veg, are not only available but affordable to all.”
Next steps
The Government has until the 31st January to respond to the Committee’s recommendations. In the meantime, we will be working with MPs to highlight the importance of the findings and recommendations to relevant Ministers.