The figure represents a jump up from the 70% figure in 2024, which the reports says shows that a healthy diet has now become unachievable for millions of UK families.
It highlights that the price gap between healthier and less healthy food is increasing and is now the widest it has been in over a decade, reporting that healthier food is nearly twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy, with foods high in fat, salt and/or sugar ‘alarmingly being the only food group to have seen a drop in price in the last year’.
Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation, said: “The Broken Plate report reveals that it is becoming increasingly difficult for struggling families to afford and access a healthy diet, despite promises from the Government to create the healthiest generation of children ever and reduce child poverty.
“This isn’t good enough. The Government must press ahead with its commitments made in the NHS 10-Year Plan, including the mandatory reporting of healthy sales by food businesses. Recent reports implied the Government is considering delays to the health measures it promised only a year ago.
“This would be a grave mistake given the state of the UK’s food system, and the poor health suffered by its citizens. The Government must take bold action now to fulfil its promises and ensure everyone can access the healthy and sustainable diet they deserve.”
The report also says that fast-food outlets make up one in every four places to buy food in England, a figure that rises to more than one in three in the most deprived areas.
It adds that 40% of food and non-alcoholic drink promotions are on foods high in fat, salt and/or sugar, while fruit and vegetables only account for 3% of traditional advertising food and non-alcoholic drink expenditure.