A new report from the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) has calculated that Britain's unhealthy food habits cost £268bn annually, surpassing the entire NHS budget. The research, led by economist Prof Tim Jackson of the University of Surrey, is the first to quantify the total economic impact of diet-related illness.
The direct costs to the government amount to £92bn, including £67.5bn spent by the NHS on conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and kidney problems. Social care services account for £14.3bn, and the welfare system £10.1bn. Indirect costs, including lost productivity from sickness (£116.4bn) and human costs like pain and early death (£60bn), bring the total to £268bn.
Households would need to spend an extra £38 per week – £57bn in total – to follow the government's Eatwell guide, which recommends more fruit, vegetables and fibre and less processed food. The poorest families would see their weekly food bills double, raising concerns about affordability amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The report criticises the food industry for prioritising profits over health, with ultra-processed food sales growing 8.4% annually. Dr Dolly van Tulleken, an obesity expert at Cambridge University, said the figure shows a system that 'privatises the profits and socialises the harms'. The FFCC urges ministers to introduce robust regulation, including vouchers for low-income households to buy UK-grown produce.
The findings increase pressure on the government to act on junk food advertising and energy drink sales, as part of broader efforts to improve public health and reduce strain on the NHS.
