Social policy experts in the UK are proposing a tax on the advertising of highly processed and fatty foods.
City centre supermarkets target cash-rich, time-poor shoppers who are prepared to pay a premium for pre-prepared healthy food, according to a new report entitled "Inconvenience food: the struggle to eat well on a low income". The targeting of these consumers by major supermarket chains which control a large proportion of the food retail market effectively excludes people on low incomes.
"Food poverty" is the term used to describe a form of social exclusion which makes it hard for some people to obtain a nourishing diet. This study shows how a number of factors combine to create food poverty, including:
The decline of urban and rural public transport, which particularly affects older people and single parents with young children;
The collapse of the independent food retail sector in urban and rural areas, which is linked to the dominance of large food retailing chains;
The commercial incentive for food manufacturers to push high-fat, low-nutrition food, particularly at the "value for money" end of the market;
Low incomes, which make filling foods with high fat content more attractive than fresh fruit and vegetables.
The authors say that although the UK government has been aware of the issue of food poverty since 1997, little has been done to bridge the widening gap between the "food rich" and the "food poor". The policy response to the complex problem of food poverty has been "incoherent" and has led to the growth of "food deserts" - areas of Britain where nutritious food is hard to obtain.
"Our changing food culture and widespread affluence have led the large supermarket chains to target a certain kind of upmarket customer with the effect that people on low incomes have been left out," says Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at Thames Valley University and co-author of "Inconvenience food" and a government advisor on food policy.
"Inconvenience food" provides a compelling account of people struggling to feed themselves and their families on a knife edge, where every penny has to be budgeted to ensure food is put on the table every day. Their ability to consider the nutritional benefits of the food they buy is severely limited.
The difficulty of feeding children is particularly acute when they have become brand conscious with food in a way more often associated with trainers. "My boy is at an age where he won’t have anything from Lidl’s*," said a 30-year-old woman from Gloucester. "I’ve got to give it to him without the wrappers."
The study’s key recommendations include:
Introducing a so-called "fat tax" on the advertising of highly processed and fatty foods which would fund a national health promotion agency;
Reviewing the nutritional standards in food advertising with a view to introducing an advertisers’ code of conduct;
Accepting that "e-tailing" and home delivery are more likely to benefit the "food rich" rather than "food poor"; equally entrepreneurial approaches to food delivery are needed to tackle food poverty;
The creation of a national food council which promotes the interests of consumers and operates independently of the food industry.
The 63 page study is published by Demos, an independent think tank which undertakes research projects in the public interest in the UK. It is part of a research programme on social exclusion issues, which addresses food poverty, highlights its causes and provides policy recommendations.
* Lidl’s is a supermarket chain offering low priced products that do not have brand names.
Parents in food fury
Poor marketing practices when it comes to children’s food have drawn the wrath of parents in recent months. The Parents Jury, comprising more than 800 parents, set up by the Food Commission have given Kraft’s Dairylea Lunchables an award for the worst food targeted at children’s lunch boxes. The packs contain cheese slices, wheat crackers and processed meats, which are high in fat and salt. One disgruntled parent said, "Absolutely vile over-processed rubbish!"
World Cup football stars who promote products such as crisps, burgers, highly sugared cereals, chocolate bars, sweets and fizzy drinks are infuriating parents. One celebrity attracting their wrath is David Beckham, whose photo endorses sugary soft drinks. During August 2002, many parents have written to the UK Food Commission to criticise this marketing saying that it undermines children’s nutrition. "Why can’t supermarkets offer deals on fresh fruit when the World Cup is taking place?" asked one distraught mother of an 8 year-old boy.
Info
Eddie Gibb
DEMOS
Tel: +44 20 7401 5347 or +44 7966 496357
E-mail: mail@demos.co.uk
Internet: http://www.demos.co.uk
