Almost one in four households in the North East are unable to afford adequate food, with serious consequences for both physical and mental health, a leading public health official has warned.
Prof Alice Wiseman, director of public health for Newcastle and Gateshead, has called for urgent action to create a fairer food system where access to affordable, nutritious food is treated as a basic right rather than a privilege.
Presenting a report to Newcastle City Council last week, Prof Wiseman warned that food inequality is placing “unmanageable healthcare demands on the NHS”, contributing to a wide range of health issues including chronic stress, social isolation, malnutrition, tooth decay and heart disease.
According to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the North East has the second-highest rate of household food insecurity in the UK, with an estimated 23% of households affected as of mid-2024.
Prof Wiseman highlighted a number of community-led initiatives working to tackle the crisis, including the West End Women and Girls Centre’s Food Justice programme and the Men’s Pie Club, which began in Byker in 2017 and has since expanded across the region. These initiatives, she said, are improving access to better-quality food while also reducing social isolation.
While describing Newcastle as a city “not taking this lying down” and a regional leader in addressing food insecurity, Prof Wiseman stressed that more action is needed. This includes tackling the “aggressive targeting and marketing” of high-fat, sugary and ultra-processed foods, particularly towards children and people living in deprived communities.
“In 2024, nearly one in four households in the North East face food insecurity,” she said. “This is not an abstract issue – it is lived every day in kitchens and communities across our city.
“Food insecurity is not about scarcity, it’s about inequality in access. Healthy food in the UK is more than twice as expensive per calorie than unhealthy food, and food insecurity more than doubles the risk of excess weight, increasing the likelihood of long-term health conditions.”
She also highlighted the stigma and shame experienced by those struggling to afford food, which often prevents people from seeking help. “Food insecurity has devastating impacts on oral health and mental wellbeing. Tooth decay is the most common reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital in England, while anxiety, depression and social isolation are also closely linked.”
City council figures show that 25.6% of five-year-olds in Newcastle have tooth decay, while 24.5% of Year 6 pupils are obese, both above the national average.
Prof Wiseman’s report noted that while the richest fifth of households spend just 11% of their income on food, the poorest fifth spend 45% – rising to 70% for families with children.
The report has been backed by broadcaster and author Dr Chris van Tulleken, who warned that food poverty underpins many of the biggest threats to public health, including obesity, poor mental health and widening social inequality.
