Helping to fight food poverty

What is food poverty?

Lack of money, inadequate shopping facilities, conflicting information about food and health, and poor transport mean that many people are denied healthy food choices. This has become known as food poverty. Poor diets lead to poor health. People on lower incomes are more likely to suffer or die from diet-related diseases such as heart attacks, cancers and strokes.

The Facts

It is estimated that 4 million people in the UK cannot afford a healthy diet, with 1 in 7 people over 65 at serious risk of malnourishment. Research has shown that three in five homeless people have no daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. Poor health among homeless people is just one of the side effects of living on the street or in basic, insecure accommodation.

This lack of a healthy diet, combined with the other hardships such as homelessness impairs the immune system and leaves homeless people vulnerable to ill health, ranging from lung and heart disease to tuberculosis and tooth decay. This poor health has a significant impact; with the average lifespan of a homeless person being just 42 years compared to the national average of 74 years.

Improved physical health often leads to better mental health and therefore, by helping vulnerable people to gain access to other support services, FareShare can help people to improve the quality of their lives.