A new report led by the Nutrition North network which includes members from The University of Sheffield has revealed a stark picture of nutritional inequality in England, with communities in the North facing the highest rates of food insecurity, poor diet, obesity, and preventable diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
Published by the Northern Health Science Alliance’s Nutrition North network, the report exposes a troubling connection between geographical inequality and health, highlighting that northern regions, including Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, and North East are falling behind the rest of the country when it comes to diet and health outcomes.
The findings show that people living in these areas consume significantly less fibre, fruit, vegetables, calcium, and essential fatty acids compared to the national average. In contrast, the same regions report the highest levels of adult and childhood obesity, food insecurity, and fast-food outlet density in England, all contributing to soaring rates of illness and early mortality.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield are now urging policymakers to act on the report’s recommendations, which include developing a skilled nutrition workforce in the North, collecting better local data, and implementing place-based strategies to ensure access to healthy, affordable food.
Dr Lucie Nield, Senior Lecturer in Public Health at the University of Sheffield, said:
“The Nutrition North report eloquently highlights the systemic, place based issues that have persisted for years. It reveals how the environments people live in shape their health and life chances and how deeply unfair these inequalities are. This is a call to action. We must do better for people living in the North.”
Key findings from the report include:
- Calcium, fibre, fruit, vegetables, and healthy fats are consumed in lower quantities in the North than the England average.
- The North East spends the least on food nationally, £56.30 per household per week, compared to £65.50 in the South.
- Weekly spending on fruit and vegetables in the North is up to £3.27 less than in other regions.
- The North West has the highest rate of food insecurity in the country (13% of households).
- There are 26% more fast food outlets in the North than the England average.
- The three northern regions have the highest adult obesity rates in England, with up to 32.2% of adults affected.
- Childhood obesity in the North East reaches 24.5% among 10 - 11 year olds, the highest in England.
- Mortality from preventable diseases (cancer, cardiovascular, and liver disease) is highest in the North.
- The prevalence of hypertension in the North East is 54% higher than in London.
The report underscores that these health outcomes are not inevitable, they are reversible with strategic investment and policy changes.
“This is a solvable crisis,” said Lucie, “we need targeted, place-sensitive interventions, not one size fits all solutions which place the blame on individuals.”
The report recommends:
- Implementing place-based strategies to ensure more equitable access to nutritious food.
- Supporting local authorities to regulate fast food advertising and outlet density.
- Investing in a trained nutrition workforce across northern regions.
- Improving regional data collection on diet and nutrition to better inform policy.
- Addressing income inequality so that all families can afford to eat well.
The report also emphasises the economic imperative of tackling poor diets. The NHS currently spends over £11.4 billion a year on obesity-related care and £10.7 billion on diabetes, costs that could be reduced with better prevention strategies focused on nutrition.
Professor Liz Williams, Professor of Human Nutrition, a founding member of the Nutrition North network and member of the Healthy Lifespan Institute added:
“This report succinctly illustrates the diet related inequalities faced by people in the North. This isn’t just about individual choice, it’s about access, affordability, and structural inequality. Improving diets in the North could dramatically reduce the risk of preventable diet related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes thereby reducing the strain on the NHS, improving quality of life and extending healthy life expectancy. There is a societal and economic imperative to act.”
Read the full Nutrition North report.