The most at-risk areas for access to affordable food revealed

At the Aston and Nechells Food Bank in Birmingham, David Fletcher and his team of volunteers are busy sorting donations of groceries.

But they're struggling to keep up. 

Every few weeks, records are being broken for the number of people the food bank is helping. Local people are finding it hard to access affordable food. There's no major supermarket close by. And with poor online delivery access, high levels of fuel poverty and people in the area having a low income or no car access, more and more people in the Hodge Hill area of Birmingham are finding themselves at breaking point. 

It's just one story – from among millions of others across the UK – of people struggling to access affordable food, falling behind as the cost of living crisis deepens and finding themselves at breaking point. 

That's why, today, Which? is publishing a 10-point plan for how supermarkets can support all shoppers – and groundbreaking new research revealing the places in the UK where households are likely to need extra support to put food on the table. 

With the price of essential products soaring, supermarkets have a crucial role to play to help us all. We’re calling on the big supermarkets to commit to clear pricing, better availability of affordable food and more offers for those who need them most.

• Do you want to see supermarkets take action? Sign the petition.

Where are the priority places for affordable food? 

The innovative new study, undertaken with researchers from the  Consumer Data Research Centre  at the University of Leeds, has produced the Priority Places for Food Index. 

This ranks areas across the UK on the likelihood of people needing support to keep themselves fed. It looks at factors such as a lack of large supermarkets nearby and poor access to online shopping deliveries. Plus, circumstances such as low income or no car, which can make it difficult for people to get access to affordable food. 

The most at-risk areas in the UK

Below we set out the most at-risk areas for access to affordable food across the UK.

England

The Priority Places for Food Index shows the North East is the worst impacted region in England with almost half (45%) of the local areas ('Lower Super Output Areas' in England and Wales - defined as containing approximately 1,500 residents or 650 households)  in dire need of extra support. 

This is due to relatively poor access to online shopping deliveries, a worse than average proximity to supermarkets and higher need for family food support, such as free school meals and take up of healthy start vouchers.

Across the other regions, Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands and the North West all have at least a third of the local areas in need of extra help. Constituencies in Birmingham and Liverpool feature heavily at the top of the index.

Birmingham Hodge Hill is the highest-ranking constituency in the index with 100% of its local areas considered as needing extra support to put food on the table. Which? found the area – served by the Aston and Nechells Food Bank – is categorised by poor online delivery access, high levels of fuel poverty and people in the area having a low income or no car access.

Knowsley in Merseyside is the second highest ranking constituency for needing support, with low income, fuel poverty and an exceptionally high need for family food support in 96% of its local areas. It also has relatively low levels of nearby supermarkets – half the number of large or very large supermarkets compared to the national average – indicating affordable food may be harder to find locally. Access to online shopping deliveries is also low. 

Better online delivery provision could improve access in some areas – like Hodge Hill and Knowsley – but currently, it’s either not available or take up is low. 

In areas where retail provision is closer to the national average such as Bradford West, socio-economic barriers and fuel poverty are relatively high but supermarkets could make a big difference by providing targeted support such as budget ranges and investing in promotions. One person from the area said their local supermarket is 'usually out of stock of a lot of basic or lower priced items'.

Wales

In comparison to England and Scotland, Wales has a higher proportion of rural places where accessing affordable food is an issue. The highest concentration of areas affected by the food crisis is in the Valleys where proximity to a large supermarket or access to online deliveries may be very poor.

Scotland

The places (determined using Datazones (2011 boundaries), with around 800 people on average) in highest need of support are most commonly found in the Central Belt according to the Which? index. But there is also a notable concentration in and around Dundee where there's relatively poor access to online food deliveries and people are more likely to be suffering from fuel poverty and on a low income.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has a more even geographical spread of areas (classed as 'Super Output Areas' with an average of around 2,000 people) in need of support to access affordable food. However, there is a noticeably greater concentration in the south-west suburbs of Belfast and in and around Derry/Londonderry owing mainly to a lack of supermarkets.

Behind the scenes at a Birmingham food bank

Every single one of the local areas in Birmingham's Hodge Hill is considered as being in dire need of extra support to put food on the table. 

The Alum Rock Road is one of the constituency's main thoroughfares. It's a busy street with dozens of clothing shops but very few large food stores. This part of East Birmingham has poor online delivery access and high levels of fuel poverty. It's also categorised by low incomes and no car access.

It's something David Fletcher is well aware of. Most people coming to the food bank where he volunteers either walk or come by bus. When the food bank launched 11 years ago, there were just two food banks serving the whole of Birmingham. Now there are 10. 

And the food bank is facing increased demand. Last year it helped about 75 people a week. A few weeks ago it was more than 200. And with no major supermarket within two miles – and these not easily accessible by bus – it's particularly hard for people to access affordable food. 

As he reaches for more boxes of breakfast cereal for the next family coming through the door, David says: 'When people are faced with a choice of putting food on the table or switching off the central heating, or when parents feel they can only feed the children but not themselves; it can be very distressing. There is a real sense of feeling a gap that has been created. People do slip through a gap and need help.'

• Find out more: all of Which?'s cost of living news and advice

Which? urges supermarkets to do more

While Which? believes the government has an important role to play, supermarkets have the ability to provide targeted support in the areas that need them the most by making sure food is available and affordable – and that prices are easy to understand to make budgeting much easier. 

That is why Which? is today launching its Affordable Food For All campaign calling on the supermarkets to step up and help all households keep food on the table. 

Our 10-point plan focuses on ways supermarkets can support people in three main areas: clear and transparent pricing, access to affordable choices and through more targeted promotions. 

If you want to see supermarkets take action, sign the petition.

10-point action plan for supermarkets 

Here's the 10-point action plan in full: 

Clear, fair and transparent pricing so that it is easy to compare best value

1. Make unit pricing prominent, legible and consistent in-store and online so price comparisons are easy across different brands and sizes of packaging.

2. Provide clear unit pricing for promotional offers in-store and online so that people can work out whether they really are the best deal.

The right products available in the right place so consumers who most need them have access to affordable ranges

3. Provide a basic range of essential budget lines for affordable as well as healthy everyday choices that are available across stores, but particularly in locations where people most need support. 

4. Consider adapting minimum spend requirements for online deliveries to increase options for households in areas with poor supermarket access.

Marketing budgets and promotions tailored to support those who are most in need

5. Tailor marketing budgets and promotions, including through loyalty cards, vouchers and other offers, to support people where they are most likely to be struggling.

6. Promote the uptake of the healthy start and best start foods scheme, with a particular focus on the priority local areas where there is a low level of uptake.

7. Provide additional support or ‘top ups’ where people are able to be identified as in particular need – for example linking them to the healthy start or best start foods schemes and other targeted promotions. 

8. Offer straightforward price reductions rather than multi-buy offers that require a bigger initial spend, may lead to more food waste and can make it more difficult to eat healthily.

9. Make more promotions available for healthy and sustainable foods, including fruit and vegetables, building on evidence of where promotions drive effective outcomes (such as 60p fruit and vegetables).

Make eating on a budget appealing and easier

10. Underpin these actions by promotions, recipes and advice that make lower-priced, healthy and sustainable foods tasty and appealing to the breadth of communities that are served.

Which? is also calling on supermarkets to openly and regularly report on their progress, including availability of budget ranges in-store and online and the impact of targeted promotions on uptake and sales.

Priority Places for Food Index: methodology

The Priority Places for Food Index brings together several key indicators for the first time to highlight where people need support most – and gives an indication of the types of interventions that may be most relevant for particular areas. This has implications for local as well as central and devolved governments. By highlighting how these priority places relate to constituencies, it can help bring political attention to the different types of challenges people are or will be facing – and who is best placed to help them.

Our index shows that some priority places have been categorised as such because they are areas with high levels of deprivation. But others may have issues that relate to accessibility of affordable food, poor proximity to supermarkets or other food outlets and low levels of e-commerce activity so online deliveries are more difficult. Some areas may face a combination of all of these factors. 

A tailored approach is also needed, taking into account the issues highlighted by our index so that interventions, whether from government or businesses, are designed in a way that addresses the circumstances specific to that place. For some places, the challenge may be about making online deliveries more readily available or increasing physical access to a choice of affordable, healthy food in areas that are essentially food deserts.

• Find out more about our research and read the full Affordable Food For All policy report.