Healthy food really is more expensive than unhealthy food

The often-heard complaint of “I just can’t afford to buy healthy food” may just have some truth to it. A new study in the journal PLOS One has found that healthy foods are three times more expensive per calorie than less healthy food.

The study tracked the price of 94 key food and beverage items from 2002 to 2012 in the UK. The authors say that healthier foods were consistently more expensive than less healthy foods and have risen more sharply in price over the last decade.

The less healthy items showed a slight price rise relative to 2002 prices. However, the absolute increase was significantly more for healthier foods - a total average increase of £1.84 per 1000 kcal, compared with £0.73 for less healthy food.

In 2002, 1000 kcal of more healthy foods cost an average of £5.65, compared to the same quantity of energy from less healthy food at £1.77. By 2012 this had risen to £7.49 for more healthy and £2.50 for less healthy foods.

Researchers from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) at the University of Cambridge who conducted the study say that this trend could result in people increasingly turning to less healthy food.

“Food poverty and the rise of food banks have recently been an issue of public concern in the UK, but as well as making sure people don’t go hungry it is also important that a healthy diet is affordable,” said lead author Nicholas Jones.

“The increase in the price difference between more and less healthy foods is a factor that may contribute towards growing food insecurity, increasing health inequalities and a deterioration in the health of the population.

“The finding shows that there could well be merit in public health bodies monitoring food prices in relation to nutrient content, hopefully taking into account a broader selection of foods than we were able to in this study.”

These findings are reflected across similar high-income nations, the authors say.

To learn more about the study, click here.