Insight article

Supporting consumers to make healthier food choices

An insight into consumers’ experiences of making healthier choices and the actions they think are needed by the government and food businesses to support them
6 min read
Paige BelliniSenior Policy Researcher
Sue DaviesHead of Consumer Rights and Food Policy
Rob AshfordSenior Policy Researcher

Summary

  • A number of consumers are focused on healthy eating, with a third (33%) saying that making their shop as healthy as possible is one of the most important factors to them.
  • However, three in 10 (28%) consumers find it difficult to eat healthily, and for 51% of consumers, the cost of living crisis has made this even harder. 
  • This challenge is having a more pronounced impact on lower-income groups. 55% of those in groups DE find it harder to eat healthily now compared to 2 years ago, while only 45% of those in groups AB report the same challenge.
  • The main barrier is the price of healthier foods, with 35% saying the price tag of healthy options stops them eating healthily on a regular basis.
  • Most consumers expect the government, supermarkets and food manufacturers to support consumers to eat more healthily. One action supported by six in ten consumers (60%), is for the government to establish mandatory health targets for supermarkets underpinned by reporting and monitoring.

Introduction

The UK continues to struggle with one of the highest obesity rates globally, impacting both the quality of life and life expectancy of its population. This issue is also severely affecting UK productivity, economic growth, and placing significant strain on the healthcare system.

The Which? Priority Places for Food Index, developed in collaboration with the Consumer Data Research Centre at the University of Leeds, offers a valuable tool to pinpoint areas where people are most vulnerable to food insecurity, understand the causes, and highlight where major supermarkets can step in to provide better support.

This research explores how accessible healthy eating currently is, the main obstacles people face in adopting healthier diets, and the level of public support for key policy actions that the new government could implement.

Eating healthily is a key priority for consumers Consumers are placing health and affordability at the forefront when buying food. Affordability  was the top priority, with just under half (48%) seeking to shop as cheaply as possible, reflecting the pressure many households face to make their budgets go further. Additionally, 40% of consumers actively look for special offers and discounts, showing just how important it is for people to find value in their everyday purchases in today’s market.

Health also plays an important role, with a third (33%) of consumers prioritising healthier food options when buying food - this is consistent across income groups. This tends to be more of a priority for older consumers - 45% of those aged 65+ prioritise healthy food,  compared to 25% of those under 35.

 

Consumers aren’t having the support they need  

Despite the widespread desire for healthy eating (65% of UK adults say they eat healthily), many consumers struggle to achieve this goal. Three in 10 (28%) admit having difficulty in maintaining a healthy diet. This challenge is particularly acute among lower-income households, with 36% of those in groups DE reporting significant difficulties compared to 26% in groups AB.

The cost of living crisis has exacerbated this issue. Around half (51%) of consumers find it harder to eat healthily now than before the crisis, with a more pronounced impact on lower-income groups. 55% of those in groups DE find it harder to eat healthily now compared to 2 years ago, while only 45% of those in groups AB report the same challenge.

This struggle is likely taking a toll on their health, with over a third (36%) of those facing difficulties eating healthily describing their diets as unhealthy. These difficulties are likely caused by factors such as affordability and convenience. Notably, 35% of consumers find healthy food too expensive, while 31% encounter issues with convenience (e.g. finding unhealthy food is easier to prepare or last longer) or time (28% saying they lack time to cook).

Supermarkets, food manufacturers and government have a role to play

Consumers believe they should be supported more by the government and food industry With around four in five consumers believing food manufacturers, supermarkets and government have a role to play in helping consumers to eat healthily (88%, 86%, 82% respectively). 

We asked consumers what actions they believe these organisations should take. For supermarkets the most common action consumers believe supermarkets should take is to prioritise making healthy food more affordable (62%) and to include more special offers on healthy food discounted (61%). Restrictions on location-based promotions for foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) came into effect from October 2022. This research reinforces the importance of the planned introduction of further volume-based promotional restrictions that will come into effect from October 2025.

Additionally, almost half (47%) of consumers believe supermarkets should ensure clear labelling is used on the front of products. There is a national front of pack nutrition labelling scheme, based on traffic light colour coding, which is used by a range of manufacturers and retailers and is supported by Which?. This is currently only voluntary and so a common industry-wide scheme that is supported by consumer research needs to be implemented.

Consumers, while seeking healthier options, desire flexibility and choice. Just a quarter of consumers (25%) favour restrictions on unhealthy food promotions, and only 18% support price hikes of these products. Instead, there is more support for an approach that prioritises accessibility and affordability of healthier choices. 

For food manufacturers, consumers expect them to take proactive measures, such as making healthier foods more affordable (56%) and reducing unhealthy ingredients (54%).

 To facilitate these changes, government intervention is paramount, as 82% of consumers believe the government should champion healthier eating. One specific area where consumers see a government role is in restricting TV and online advertising, a measure supported by around a third of consumers (36% and 34%, respectively). The government has announced that further restrictions for TV and online advertising will come into effect in October 2025.

Another potential strategy, backed by six in ten consumers (60%), is for the government to establish mandatory health targets for supermarkets underpinned by reporting and monitoring. This would incentivise supermarkets to take a range of measures to encourage consumers to buy healthier products, including adjustments to the prices they charge, balance of promotions or product formulation. This has been proposed by NESTA, supported by Which?  as the intervention is considered relatively low-cost to implement while still providing supermarkets with a level of autonomy and flexibility in how they make these changes. NESTA estimates that setting a health target for the 11 largest grocery retailers, at levels similar to those already achieved by today’s ‘best’ players, could reduce calorie purchases by around 80 kcal per person per day. This would help around 4 million people achieve a healthier weight and reduce obesity in Britain by around 23%. 

Prioritising the support consumers need

The research has highlighted that there is a clear need to provide greater support to consumers in making healthier food choices - and that consumers expect more to be done by the government as well as the food industry. We also know concerns about price are getting in the way for many consumers achieving this. Interventions that are focused on enabling a choice of healthy, affordable options, building on measures already in place and coming into effect next year, to shift the balance of promotions are likely to have greater public support. Long-standing issues that support informed choices including a consistent front of pack nutrition labelling and robust controls over the advertising of less healthy foods, particularly to children, also get strong levels of support. The research also shows that, as well as potentially making a significant impact on population obesity levels and being a relatively low cost intervention, establishing mandatory health targets for retailers, as advocated by Nesta and supported by Which? has strong support from a majority of consumers. 

Methodology

The fieldwork was conducted by Yonder on behalf of Which between 23rd and 25th August 2024. A sample of 2,067 UK adults were surveyed online and weighted to be nationally representative.