Andy Devaney
Rising food costs are no longer just squeezing household budgets — they are hitting Britain’s nutritional needs, with millions of people struggling to get enough essential vitamins, minerals and healthy fats in their daily diet.
That is the sobering conclusion from a major new report, Dietary Deficits and Future Health and Wellness Fallouts, published by the Health and Food Supplements Information Service.
The findings point to a country that broadly knows what it should be eating, but is increasingly being priced out of doing it. The weekly shop, once a domestic chore, has become a grim little negotiation between health, money and whatever happens to be on offer at the end of the aisle.
More than six in 10 adults surveyed by HSIS said the cost-of-living crisis has affected their food choices. A third said healthy foods are now too expensive.
That is not a minor lifestyle inconvenience. That is a public health warning with a barcode on it.
When Healthy Eating Becomes Too Expensive
The problem is not that Britain has suddenly forgotten about fruit, vegetables, fish, wholegrains and balanced meals. Most people know the script. Five-a-day. More fibre. Less junk. Eat the oily fish. Try not to let dinner come entirely from a beige box.
But knowing the advice is one thing. Affording it every week is another.
According to the HSIS survey, 93% of UK adults admit their diet could be healthier, while 73% are concerned they are not getting all the nutrients they need. Only 7% report no concerns about nutrient gaps.
The disconnect is stark. Sixty per cent said they tried to eat the recommended five-a-day, yet government dietary surveys show fewer than 20% of adults and 10% of teenagers actually meet the fruit and vegetable target.
So, the intent is there. The plate is not.
The Nutrient Gaps Behind The Price Tags
The HSIS report identifies significant shortfalls in vitamin D, folate, calcium, iron, iodine, selenium, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids.
These are not fringe wellness extras for people who alphabetise their supplements. They are fundamental nutrients linked to energy, bone health, cognitive function, immunity, mood and long-term resilience.
When food choices narrow because prices rise, nutrient intake can narrow with them. Fresh produce, oily fish, lean proteins, fortified foods and varied meals become harder to prioritise when the household budget is already doing the splits.
Dr Emma Derbyshire, public health nutritionist from HSIS and lead author, warns: “Consumers are right to be worried about their diets as the government’s own diet research2 highlights that our nutrient intakes haven’t improved for years and – in many cases – continue to get worse.
“Any single nutrient gap is of concern but the pattern of shortfalls we’ve seen is particularly worrying for future health. It’s clear that millions of people are at risk of poor nutrition, impacting on their mental and physical wellbeing at a time when we need to improve the nation’s productivity.”
The report also highlights how nutrients work together. Vitamin D helps calcium absorption. Magnesium activates vitamin D. Vitamin C boosts iron uptake. One shortfall can make another worse, like pulling one club from the bag and finding three more have vanished with it.
The Symptoms People May Be Brushing Off
One reason poor nutrition can be so easily missed is that its early warning signs often look like normal modern life.
The HSIS report points to symptoms consistent with nutrient shortfalls, including tiredness, low energy, sleeplessness, low mood, fatigue, stress and anxiety.
The figures are difficult to ignore:
- 49% reported tiredness
- 41% reported low energy
- 34% reported sleeplessness
- 30% reported low mood
- 29% reported fatigue
- 26% reported stress or anxiety
Of course, not every bad night’s sleep or low-energy afternoon is caused by diet. Life is quite capable of draining the battery on its own. But the report suggests that everyday symptoms may sometimes reflect deeper dietary gaps, particularly when people are repeatedly missing key vitamins, minerals and omega-3s.
Women And Teenagers Are Especially Exposed
The cost pressure on food choices is particularly worrying because some groups are already falling short.
The report states that 23% of teenagers have riboflavin, or vitamin B2, intakes below minimum levels. Riboflavin is important for vision and energy release from food.
Among women aged 19 to 64, 34% have iron intakes below recommended levels. Iron is vital for normal cognitive function and carrying oxygen around the body.
Three-quarters of women of childbearing age have insufficient folate blood levels, a nutrient essential for helping prevent birth defects. Up to 57% of women have selenium intakes below minimum requirements.
Vitamin D is another major concern. The report notes that we get only around a third of our vitamin D requirement from food sources, contributing to widespread deficiency by spring each year. More than two thirds of people do not know where to get vitamin D in the diet, and most do not take a daily vitamin D supplement as recommended by the NHS.
In other words, the cupboard was already looking thin before food inflation started rearranging the contents.
The NHS May Pay For Today’s Food Choices Tomorrow
The report draws a clear line between poor nutrition and long-term health risk.
It cites 4.6 million people diagnosed with diabetes, with 1.3 million more undiagnosed; more than 8 million people living with cardiovascular disease; and 168,000 deaths annually from cardiovascular conditions.
Research cited in the HSIS report suggests that improving diets could reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 31% and cardiovascular disease by 30%.
That is where the cost-of-living crisis becomes more than an economic story. If millions are forced into cheaper, less varied, less nutrient-dense diets, the consequences may eventually turn up in GP surgeries, hospital waiting rooms and NHS budgets.
Dr Carrie Ruxton, dietitian and adviser to HSIS, explains: “Nutrition is a major driver of health and longevity. People who achieve recommended intakes of key micronutrients typically have a lower risk of chronic disease and their body cells show fewer signs of ageing.
“We have heard the warnings about unhealthy foods for decades, yet the nation’s diet continues to deteriorate. The situation is unlikely to change without a major shift in public health policies, improved education and better access to affordable, nutritious foods.”
This Is Bigger Than Willpower
The easy answer is to tell people to eat better. The honest answer is more uncomfortable.
When healthier foods feel too expensive, nutrition becomes a structural issue, not just a personal one. The HSIS report concludes that Britain’s nutritional decline is being driven by cost, confusion, misinformation and access.
That matters because health messaging often assumes people have time, money, confidence and choice. Many do not. Or at least not enough of all four at once.
Dr Carrie Ruxton says: “We need to rethink our approach to health messaging, diet and nutrition education because what we are doing is simply not working. Far too many people are already jeopardising their everyday wellbeing and long-term health.
“The simple addition of a multivitamin and multimineral supplement, plus a source of omega3s from fish oil or algae, would be a useful first step to putting the nation’s nutrition back on the right track and future proofing people’s health and wellness as they age.”
For people who dislike oily fish or do not eat fish, the report also points to omega-3 supplementation as a practical step.
Supplements are not a replacement for a good diet. They are not culinary forgiveness in tablet form. But where food costs are making balanced eating harder, they may offer a useful nutritional safety net.
A Food Bill With A Health Warning
The most worrying part of this report is not that people are unaware of healthy eating. It is that many appear to be aware, concerned and still unable to make the numbers work.
That is the quiet cruelty of the cost-of-living crisis. It does not just change what people buy. It changes what their bodies have to run on.
Britain’s nutritional needs are now being tested not in laboratories or policy papers, but in supermarket aisles, kitchen cupboards and family budgets. And unless healthier food becomes easier to afford, the nation may find that today’s cheaper basket comes with tomorrow’s bigger bill.