ArticlePloS one2014
The growing price gap between more and less healthy foods: analysis of a novel longitudinal UK dataset.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
76 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association of Socioeconomic Factors With Oral Health in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Gerodontology · 2026Pooled it
- The nutritional quality of food parcels provided by food banks and the effectiveness of food banks at reducing food insecurity in developed countries: a mixed-method systematic review.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2022Pooled it
- Environmental interventions to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and their effects on health.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Contribution of food prices and diet cost to socioeconomic disparities in diet quality and health: a systematic review and analysis.Nutrition reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Trial
- Ultra-Processed Food Policies and Global Nutrition Equity: The Case for a Feasibility-Grounded, Differentiated Governance Supplement to Nova.Nutrition bulletin · 2026Article
- Is there a healthy-food premium? A cross-sectional analysis of the UK online food delivery sector.Health promotion international · 2026Article
- Understanding factors affecting engagement with food-related services in areas of deprivation: A mixed-methods approach.Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- Incretin therapies, nutrition and food insecurity in the UK.Nature medicine · 2026Article
- Associations between food-related concerns, food security status, and food support use: a secondary analysis of the Food and You 2: Wave 6 dataset.Journal of nutritional science · 2026Article
- The UK Food Environment: A Systematic Review of Domains, Methodologies, and Outcomes.Current developments in nutrition · 2025Review
- Patterns, socioeconomic inequalities and determinants of healthy eating in Kenya: results from a national cross-sectional survey.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Impact of a Recipe Kit Scheme (BRITE Box) on Cooking and Food-Related Behaviours of Children and Families: Exploring Parental/Carer Views.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Article
- Increased costs associated with greater adherence to the EAT-Lancet Commission reference diet in the province of Québec: the PREDISE Study.The British journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Evaluating nutritional and food cost assessments: cash-register receipts may be an alternative for FFQs - accuracy and feasibility in a dietary study.BMJ nutrition, prevention & health · 2025Article
- The impact of living alone on older adults' mental health and the mediating role of healthy diet.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Influence of health food literacy on willingness to pay for healthier foods: focus on food insecurity.International journal for equity in health · 2024Article
- Food environment and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ nutrition, prevention & health · 2024Article
- The nutritional profile of commercial complementary foods in Japan: comparison between low- and high-price products.The British journal of nutrition · 2023Article
- Food access, domestic environments, and dietary quality of low-middle income Chilean children during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThe UK government has noted the public health importance of food prices and the affordability of a healthy diet. Yet, methods for tracking change over time have not been established. We aimed to investigate the prices of more and less healthy foods over time using existing government data on national food prices and nutrition content.
methodsWe linked economic data for 94 foods and beverages in the UK Consumer Price Index to food and nutrient data from the UK Department of Health's National Diet and Nutrition Survey, producing a novel dataset across the period 2002-2012. Each item was assigned to a food group and also categorised as either "more healthy" or "less healthy" using a nutrient profiling model developed by the Food Standards Agency. We tested statistical significance using a t-test and repeated measures ANOVA.
resultsThe mean (standard deviation) 2012 price/1000 kcal was £2.50 (0.29) for less healthy items and £7.49 (1.27) for more healthy items. The ANOVA results confirmed that all prices had risen over the period 2002-2012, but more healthy items rose faster than less healthy ones in absolute terms:£0.17 compared to £0.07/1000 kcal per year on average for more and less healthy items, respectively (p<0.001).
conclusionsSince 2002, more healthy foods and beverages have been consistently more expensive than less healthy ones, with a growing gap between them. This trend is likely to make healthier diets less affordable over time, which may have implications for individual food security and population health, and it may exacerbate social inequalities in health. The novel data linkage employed here could be used as the basis for routine food price monitoring to inform public health policy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.