Poor Diets Fueling Health Crisis in North England

Yeah, let's talk about something heavy but real: the food crisis quietly tearing through the North of England and no, it's not because people don't know what's "healthy" or "unhealthy."

It's deeper than that.

If you live in the North East, North West, or even parts of Yorkshire, you might have noticed it your local greengrocer shut down, the school meals aren't what they used to be, and there's a new chicken shop on the corner where the market used to be.

It's not a coincidence. It's not laziness. It's a system set up to fail the people it should protect.

And right now, poor diets in the North of England are fuelling a health time bomb rising obesity, sky-high blood pressure, and preventable diseases spreading like cracks in old stone.

So what's really going on? And more importantly: what can we do?

Root Causes

You've probably heard the old line: "Just eat better." As if it's that simple.

But when you're juggling bills, a remote or underpaid job, childcare, and maybe even a side hustle just to keep the fridge stocked your food choices aren't about willpower. They're about what's cheap, quick, and filling.

To be honest, I get it. I used to live in Middlesbrough, and I remember this one week I bought beans on toast for dinner six nights straight not because I love beans (don't get me wrong, they're great), but because it's what I could afford. And I wasn't alone.

Now multiply that by thousands no, tens of thousands of families across the North. That's the reality.

According to a new 2025 report from Health Equity North and Fuse (a research collaboration in the North East), households in the North East spend just 56.30 a week on food the lowest in England. The national average? 65.50. That's nearly a ten-pound gap, but when you're already stretched thin, it might as well be a canyon.

And guess what that gap means? Less fresh produce. Less fruit. Less variety. And a whole lot of ultra-processed food the kind loaded with salt, sugar, and trans fats.

And here's the kicker: a healthier diet can cost over twice as much per calorie compared to processed alternatives. So when your child comes home hungry, what choice do you really have?

Food Reality

Let's dig into the triple threat hitting the North right now poverty, food insecurity, and the hidden cost of healthy food.

First, poverty isn't just about not having money. It's about not having options. When your budget is tight, every decision becomes a calculation. Play the lottery of nutrition, or play it safe with 500 calories of deep-fried certainty?

Now, food insecurity something we shouldn't even have in a country like ours hits hardest in the North West, where 13% of households are classed as food insecure. That's one in eight families not knowing where their next meal is coming from. Kids skipping breakfast. Parents skipping dinner so their kids can eat.

And it's not just about hunger it's about dignity. Imagine having to rely on food banks week after week, never quite getting the ingredients you want, or ones that suit your child's tastes or cultural meals.

That's not a lifestyle choice. That's survival.

And then there's the price tag of eating healthy. A study from the University of York found that fruits, vegetables, and whole grains cost over twice as much per calorie than ultra-processed foods. So yes, a bag of crisps can cost less than a single apple in some stores. Let that sink in.

"Families are under increasing pressure... too many children are growing up without consistent access to healthy food".
Professor Maria Bryant, University of York

So no people aren't choosing unhealthy eating habits. They're choosing survival.

Health Fallout

We can't talk about poor diets without talking about what they do to the body and it's not just about the number on the scale.

Sure, obesity North England numbers are alarming. But let's not act like obesity is the end of the story. It's a symptom a red flag waving in the wind.

In the North East, 32.2% of adults are classified as obese the highest in England. The North West? 29.3%. Yorkshire and The Humber? 28.9%. And for children aged 1011? A staggering 24.5% in the North East are obese. That's one in four kids.

And it starts early from the moment a baby is in the womb. Poor prenatal nutrition, followed by sugary first foods and limited access to nutritional education, can set things off on the wrong foot.

But here's what most people miss: obesity is just one piece of the puzzle.

Behind those stats are preventable diseases diet choices are directly linked to: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and even some cancers. And let's not forget high blood pressure risk a silent killer that quietly damages arteries, kidneys, and hearts for years before anyone notices.

The NHS spends a mind-blowing 11.4 billion every year treating obesity-related conditions. The broader social cost? A jaw-dropping 74.3 billion annually. That's money we could be using for schools, mental health services, green spaces but instead, it's going to patch up a system that's burning out from avoidable illness.

This isn't a "lifestyle issue." It's a public health emergency one that starts in the soil of inequality and grows in the cracks left by policy gaps.

Food Traps

You know what they say: you become what you're surrounded by. And in many parts of the North, that means a takeaway on every street corner.

This isn't just anecdotal. Data shows Northern England has 103.6 fast food outlets per 100,000 people that's 26% higher than the national average (81.9). And they're not just scattered they're concentrated in the most deprived areas, where people have the least access to affordable, nutritious food.

Think about it: you walk out your door, and within 200 metres, you've got three chicken shops, a kebab van, and a burger joint. But the nearest greengrocer? Half a mile away, and bus fare is 2.40.

It's not that people want to eat more takeaways. It's that they're the easiest, cheapest and sometimes the only option available. Especially if you're exhausted, time-poor, and facing a long journey home from work.

I remember in my hometown, there was this brilliant little fruit van that used to come through on Thursdays. Then one day, it stopped. No announcement. No notice. Just gone. In its place? A dollar-store selling processed snacks and energy drinks.

We can't expect people to make "healthy" choices when the system is actively pushing them towards unhealthy ones.

Real Fixes

Okay so the situation is bad. But here's the good news: it's not hopeless.

The same report that exposed the crisis also lays out a clear path forward. Not with vague advice like "drink more water," but with actual, evidence-backed solutions that respect the lives of real people.

For example, local councils in Liverpool and Teesside are now restricting new takeaway licenses near schools. That's not about punishing businesses it's about creating room for healthier choices to grow.

In Middlesbrough, researchers are tracking junk food ads on bus shelters the kind plastered with images of greasy burgers and sugary drinks and pushing for regulations that protect children from predatory marketing.

And guess what? It's working. Some areas are already seeing a slowdown in childhood obesity. Not overnight, but slowly, like a ship turning in deep water.

But we need to go further.

Action Plan

What if we stopped treating poor diets in the North of England like a personal failing and started treating them like the public policy issue they are?

The report suggests five key moves that could actually change things:

Solution	Why It Works
Invest in local nutrition experts	Train GPs, midwives, and nurses to give diet advice reaching people where they already go for care
Expand free school meals	Auto-enrol eligible kids and extend meals into holidays no child should go hungry in summer
Scrap the two-child benefit cap	More income means more food security it's that simple
Fix data gaps	Track eating habits regionally what we measure, we can improve
Level the food pricing field	Subsidize fruits, veggies, and pulses and tax ultra-processed foods to fund change

These aren't dreamy ideas. They're smart, realistic fixes with proof they work.

Take Teesside: a pilot programme gave people with type 2 diabetes food coaching and medical support. Result? 60% saw major improvement some even went into remission. Imagine scaling that up across the region.

Or the North West, where midwives are being trained in nutrition. Simple move, big impact: better-fed mums = healthier babies = fewer long-term health issues down the line.

And in Lancaster and Middlesbrough, fast food zoning laws made space for more mobile fruit vans and community kitchens. When you change the environment, you change the choices.

Beyond Blame

I want to say this gently but clearly: shaming people for their weight, their diet, or their food choices only makes the problem worse.

No one wakes up and chooses to be obese. No parent chooses to feed their child a bag of chips because they don't care. They do it because it's what they can afford, what's available, and what's easiest after a 12-hour shift.

And yes diet matters. But so does stress. So does loneliness. So does housing insecurity, trauma, and the daily grind of making ends meet.

We can't shame our way into better health. But we can build a system that makes healthy living possible even easy.

Because here's the truth: health isn't just a personal responsibility. It's a shared one.

And in the North, people are resilient, creative, and deeply community-minded. They don't need lectures they need support.

Future Bright

Let's end this on hope because change is already happening.

The North isn't waiting for Westminster to fix things. Communities are rising up, innovating, and showing the rest of the country how it's done from grassroots food co-ops to school meal revamps to fast food zones with teeth.

But they can't do it alone.

We need national policies that reflect Northern realities. We need fair funding. We need investment in food education, nutrition workers, and local infrastructure.

And we need to stop pretending that poor diets in the North England are just about personal choices. They're about power. About money. About justice.

Because when the North thrives, so does the whole country. And it starts with something simple, profound, and essential: a good meal.

So what do you think? Have you seen changes in your area? Is there a food project you love? Or just vent we're listening.

Share this, talk about it, and most of all demand better. Because everyone deserves to eat well, no matter their postcode.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.