The Broken Plate 2023

"This report shows that a low-income family would have to spend 50% of their income on groceries to eat the Government’s recommended diet. That is clearly not feasible. To enable every child to fulfil their potential, we need to make a healthy diet affordable."

RT HON SIR STEPHEN TIMMS MP CHAIR, WORK AND PENSIONS SELECT COMMITTEE

"This year’s Broken Plate data confirms that rising costs, not reflected in benefits, are making the barest essentials unmanageable for the poorest in society. The data in Broken Plate speaks to a system that keeps already disadvantaged families from flourishing: hopefully the inclusion of a voice like mine can make this year’s report a vehicle for change."

DOMINIC WATTERS, FOOD FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR AND FOOD IS CARE FOUNDER

"To better understand the risks and opportunities facing companies, we need access to good quality and comparable data. A key focus for us is therefore engaging with companies to understand their performance including our work with the Investor Coalition on Food Policy, calling on the UK Government to introduce mandatory reporting for food sector companies of health and sustainability metrics."

SOPHIE LAWERENCE, RATHBONE GREENBANK INVESTMENTS

"This sector has shown it can change and we need to work constructively with the industry to move to healthier, affordable options created by staff working in ‘good jobs’ with produce that is sourced through local supply chains."

JUSTIN VARNEY, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL

"It is a complete fantasy to suppose that the huge problems of diet-related disease are going to be solved by voluntary measures. The commercial incentives for companies to produce food that makes us sick is overwhelming. As a bare minimum, the Government must make the Food and Drink Transparency Partnership (FTDP) a vehicle for more transparency and action around healthier food sales."

HENRY DIMBLEBY, AUTHOR OF THE NATIONAL FOOD STRATEGY INDEPENDENT REVIEW

"Health disclosures by the food and drink sector are an important driver of transparency, accountability and food systems change. By collecting and reporting on the healthiness of our sales, including the food group proportions in a typical basket, we have been able to identify our areas for action, track performance against our health targets and add ‘healthiness’ as a consideration within our commercial decisionmaking tools."

NILANI SRITHARAN, GROUP HEALTHY & SUSTAINABLE DIETS MANAGER, SAINSBURY'S

"The marketing strategies used on these parents are highly effective, with buzzwords such as ‘all organic’, ‘natural sugars’ and ‘nutritionally approved’, which is disingenuous at best and dangerous at worst. The early years are a critical development stage for children, so the UK Government has a unique opportunity to address this."

DR CAMILLA KINGDON, RCPCH PRESIDENT

Reading this year’s Broken Plate it’s clear that opportunities for interventions that would bring lasting benefits for public and private health and the quality of people’s are being missed. The Food Foundation once again makes the case that improving our food system is a fundamental building block for the country’s future wellbeing.

TIM GARDAM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE NUFFIELD FOUNDATION

"The stark 19-year difference in healthy life expectancy between women in the most and least deprived deciles shows that not everyone in the UK has the necessary building blocks for a healthy life – an adequate income to provide for themselves and their families; housing that is affordable and secure; neighbourhoods that support active lifestyles with the right amenities and services."

JO BIBBY, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AT THE HEALTH FOUNDATION

"Few people want to be overweight or obese, and no one wants to lose a limb. But we cannot hold people personally responsible for their diet if we do not create realistic choices, a healthy environment, a positive culture and a supply chain to match."

LORD JAMES BETHELL, CONSERVATIVE PEER IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS