Warning over families not getting enough food

ALMOST one in four North East households are unable to afford adequate food and are suffering serious physical and mental health consequences as a result, a public health chief has warned.

- DANIEL HOLLAND

Prof Alice Wiseman, director of public health for Newcastle and Gateshead, has called for urgent action to create a fairer system where everyone has the right to affordable and nutritious food - instead of being forced to skip meals or rely on cheaper, unhealthy products.

In a report presented to Newcastle City Council last week, she warns that food inequality is driving “unmanageable healthcare demands on the NHS’ leaving people with problems ranging from chronic stress and isolation to malnutrition, tooth decay to heart disease. The North East has the second highest rate of household food insecurity in the UK, an estimated 23% as of mid-2024, according to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.