Children in Northern England face increasing food insecurity and obesity

Families in poorer parts of the country - particularly in the North of England - are facing increasing barriers to accessing healthy, affordable food, and their children are more likely to experience obesity as a result.

A major new report, published today (July 8, 2025) and informed by Fuse research, highlights rising levels of food insecurity nationwide, with the North bearing the brunt. Between 2019/20 and 2022/23, food insecurity in the North rose by 5.5% - significantly higher than the 3.8% increase seen in the South.

The report highlights a stark North–South divide in childhood obesity, apparent from the earliest years of schooling. At Reception age, regional differences are already clear, and by Year 6 this pattern is mirrored with 24.5% of children in the North East living with obesity, compared to just 19.1% in the South West.

The report, Hungry for Change: Tackling Obesity and Food Insecurity in the North of England, by Health Equity North on behalf of the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), examines regional inequalities in childhood food insecurity and obesity and reflects on the challenges and opportunities that shape children’s health across the life course – from conception through to early adulthood.

Analysis highlighted in the report demonstrates that food insecurity is strongly linked to poverty, and families with children are twice as likely to be food insecure than those without children. Poverty is also a root cause of other major social problems such as obesity in childhood.

The APPG members and report authors are now urging policymakers to adopt a range of measures to address this issue, including strengthening social welfare support, expanding access to nutritious food, introducing universal free school meals, and restricting fast food outlets in high-risk areas.

Contributions from Fuse researchers

Fuse academics played a key role in shaping the report, contributing research and expertise across several chapters, including researchers from Newcastle University and Teesside University, with expertise spanning pregnancy, school food environments, and local food systems. 

The chapter on pregnancy, co-authored by Professor Nicola Heslehurst and Zoe Bell (King's College London), draws on recent Fuse-supported systematic reviews and qualitative research exploring maternal diet, weight, and the impacts of food insecurity during pregnancy. This chapter also includes an infographic co-developed by Fuse researchers with experts by experience at an engagement workshop held in Newcastle upon Tyne in July 2024.

The chapter on the secondary school years was co-authored by Fuse Associates Suzanne Spence and Jen Bradley. It highlights research into the impact of school food policies on dietary intake and young people’s perspectives on school food interventions.

Dr Spence, Lecturer in the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University, said: “Young people often fall short of key dietary recommendations. Our research highlights the need for robust school food policies - backed by clear standards, targeted interventions, and meaningful engagement from pupils to policymakers - to reduce sugar in diets, increase access to healthier foods like fruit and vegetables, and ensure all young people can eat well, regardless of background.”

The chapter on environments was co-authored by Claire O’Malley, Andrea Burrows, and Helen Moore, alongside Professor Amelia Lake (Fuse Deputy Director), all based at Teesside University. It explores how the physical, economic and commercial food environment - including exposure to fast food outlets and the emergence of ‘dark kitchens’ - influences food choice and obesity risk, particularly in deprived areas.

The chapter draws on research funded by the NIHR, including studies on food outlet density, as well as qualitative research into the rise of social supermarkets and their role in addressing local food insecurity. Social supermarkets, which offer discounted surplus food alongside wraparound support, are increasingly relied upon by households experiencing persistent economic hardship.

The authors also examine the growing importance of community food organisations (CFOs) - such as food pantries, hubs, and redistribution schemes – which often act as informal safety nets in deprived neighbourhoods, yet face challenges around sustainability, reach, and stigma. The research highlights the limited capacity of voluntary provision to fully compensate for structural inequalities in food access.

The Child of the North APPG report will be launched at a parliamentary meeting today (8 July, 2025), at which Nicola Heslehurst, Helen Moore and Andrea Burrows will join members of the APPG and people with lived experience. 

Key findings

Further analysis in the report shows:

• Food insecurity in households with children in the North rose 5.5% between 2019/20 and 2022/23, compared to 3.8% in the South.
• Childhood obesity at Reception age is higher than the England average (9.6%) in all three northern regions: 10.8% in the North East, 10.7% in Yorkshire and the Humber, and 10.1% in the North West. The highest is the West Midlands at 10.9%, and the lowest is 8.4% in the East of England.
• At Year 6, prevalence of obesity is again higher than the England average (22.1%): 24.5% in the North East, 23.3% in the North West and 23.6% in Yorkshire and the Humber, compared to 19.1% in the South West.
• The prevalence of obesity at Reception age in England is more than twice as high in the most deprived areas (12.9%) as it is in the least deprived (6%), with severe obesity at 4.1% in the most deprived areas compared to 1.1% in the least.
• Local authority data shows the highest Reception age obesity rates in Hartlepool (13.9%), compared to the lowest in Wokingham (5.7%).
• Rates of children registered for means-tested free school meals are consistently higher in the North than the England average (25.7%) – with 32.3% in the North East, 28.9% in the North West and 27.8% in Yorkshire and the Humber. The lowest is 20.6% in the South East.
• Communities in the North are more exposed to fast food outlets, with 69.9% of people living within 1 km of their nearest fast food outlet – 7.4% higher than in the South. This difference rises to 15.7% when London is excluded.
• Between 2016 and 2024, the number of people living within 1 km of a fast food outlet rose by 84% in the North, and more than doubled in the North East, compared to a 60% rise in the South.

The report features first-hand experience from Newcastle-based Food Foundation Ambassador Penny Walters, who volunteers with community organisations which provide food, budgeting and cooking advice, and a sense of community. She believes these organisations have become “a vital safety net for families like mine”, but that more must be done to provide desperately-needed support and dignity for struggling households.

She said: “Food insecurity has been a persistent reality for my family, shaped largely by inadequate welfare policies and the rising cost of living.

"Cooking from scratch is often presented as a solution, but it requires more than ingredients – it requires fuel, appropriate kitchen equipment, and knowledge. When even one of those elements is missing, families are left without real options.”

Penny has called for policymakers to “step outside of Westminster and engage with communities living this reality”. She urges the government to deliver policies which offer “affordability, access, and dignity”, including scrapping the two-child benefit cap, auto-enrolling families for free school meals, and providing more well-funded community hubs for advice and support.

The report includes a list of recommendations for the government with a focus on equitable approaches that target those in areas of greatest need, such as children living in deprived areas like the North of England.

Examples include addressing the “postcode lottery” of free school meal distribution through centralised auto-enrolment, so that all eligible children benefit.

Other recommendations include:

• Prioritising policies that address poverty
• Reversing cuts to welfare benefits (e.g., two-child limit, benefit cap)
• Expanding access to affordable, healthy food in low-income communities
• Restricting fast food expansion in high-risk areas
• Strengthening the Healthy Start scheme
• Reinvesting in early years services such as Sure Start
• Appointing a dedicated minister for early years food and health.

The Child of the North APPG brings together policymakers and experts from across the country to address and suggest solutions to key issues facing children in England today. Child of the North is a partnership between Health Equity North and the N8 Research Partnership. For this report, Health Equity North convened a team of academics from across the North, including representatives from the University of York, University of Liverpool, Teesside University, Newcastle University, and members of Fuse.

Last modified: Tue, 08 Jul 2025 18:51:37 BST