RURAL AREAS OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND — More than half of lower-income households in rural areas of England and Scotland live more than a 20-minute walk from the nearest shop selling fresh fruit and vegetables, according to a Sheffield University study based on a survey of 14,158 households earning under £40,000 a year. The research found that 52.5% of such rural households face that distance to the nearest fresh food retailer, compared with 7% of lower-income households in deprived urban neighbourhoods.

High food and energy costs, the disappearance of village stores, limited public transport options, and supermarket logistics systems that favour cities combine to create food deserts and increase the risks of food insecurity, which is defined as poor access to nutritious food caused by lack of money or nearby shops, leading to meal-skipping and poor diet.

"For 'struggling middle' families in rural areas, food security is not just about bank balance but physical and geographical barriers that make navigating the cost of living crisis nearly impossible," said Dr Megan Blake, a senior lecturer and food security expert at Sheffield University. "When a struggling household lives in a 'food desert' with no nearby shop and poor quality food options their risk of food insecurity is over 22 times higher than a household in the same income bracket that can walk five minutes to a budget supermarket," she said.

The study found that persistent household food insecurity is linked to poor mental and physical health, stress, and social stigma. While lower-income households in full-time work were far more likely to be above the poverty line than households reliant solely on welfare benefits, both groups experienced similar levels of food insecurity. About one in eight UK households were estimated in February to have experienced food insecurity.

UK food costs have risen by 50% since 2021. Research by South Cotswolds food bank in 2024 found that the cost of a basic basket of food was up to 62% higher in village convenience stores than in the nearest market town low-cost superstore. The study called for a national review of areas with poor access to food shops, focusing on rural areas, post-industrial and coastal communities, and support for low-cost and subsidised food retail alternatives such as food clubs and social supermarkets.

One rural dweller interviewed in the study said: "'Village life' or 'country way of life' is not all it's cracked up to be. Being financially very poor and a lack of access to food just do not help."

A government spokesperson said: "Our goal is to build a food system that ensures everyone can access safe, affordable and healthy food. Through outcomes set out in our Good Food Cycle we are tackling food insecurity head-on, improving access to good food in deprived communities and delivering on our manifesto commitment to end mass dependence on food parcels." The spokesperson added: "We have already expanded free breakfast clubs, widened free school meals to half a million more children, and proudly removed the two-child limit on benefits, lifting 450,000 children out of poverty."