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The gap between what we want to eat and what we actually do eat is puzzlingly vast. Our desire to make healthy choices is at its highest since 2019, before the pandemic, with nearly a third of food bought for health reasons. Yet less than a fifth of us eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. The will is there but – it seems – not the way. So what is going on?

“Over 90% of UK adults are aware of the five-a-day recommendation so the issue is not a lack of awareness,” says Elaine Hindal, CEO of the British Nutrition Foundation. “The change we need is a shift in the food environment, not just a focus on individual behaviour.”

For parents, it is vindicating to hear this being acknowledged. Anyone who juggles looking after children with working long hours, running a household, the million other demands on our time and ensuring there’s a tasty, nutritious, filling and affordable dinner on the table every night knows how hard this can be. Then throw in your kids being fussy about food, hectic schedules (“You’ve got five minutes to eat that before football practice”) and simply not having the bandwidth to ponder, plan, budget for, prep, create and clear up three meals a day, every day. It’s no wonder that a chasm opens up between what we’d like our families to eat and how things pan out in the real world – and unfortunately the thing that so often fills that chasm is parental guilt.

Structural barriers to healthy eating

But this situation is categorically not the parents’ fault. Yes, of course, we all need to take personal responsibility and do the best we can for our children. But we’re coming up against a huge number of what Hindal calls “structural barriers” when it comes to making healthy food choices. The good news is that Tesco is taking tangible, practical steps to help tackle these.

First up, the supermarket consulted with its customers, in collaboration with the British Nutrition Foundation. “We heard that their health, and the health of their loved ones, is one of the things our customers care about most. But for too many, the barriers to healthy eating can sometimes feel insurmountable,” says Laura Farrell, Tesco nutritionist. “We know that affordability and accessibility remain some of the biggest barriers. But we also know that convenience, time and inspiration also impact our customers’ diets. This means that we need to take a multifaceted approach to inspiring healthier choices at the checkout.”

And that change needs to happen now: latest government figures show that 64% of adults in England are overweight or obese. The statistics for children are especially alarming, as Hindal points out: “Obesity rates in children double from when they start school in reception to when they leave in year 6; 11- to 18-year-olds have the poorest dietary intakes in the population, with two-thirds of their energy intake coming from foods classified as ultra-processed; sugar intake is more than double what is recommended; and less than one in 10 get their five-a-day.” This problem, says Hindal, is most pronounced in deprived areas.

Making healthier eating more affordable

Farrell acknowledges that eating well can often be difficult, “especially with the cost of living on the rise”, she adds. “Tesco is taking a number of steps to make healthier food more affordable for families. Through initiatives such as Aldi Price Match, Clubcard Prices, and our Fresh 5 offers, we’re helping to keep healthy choices within reach of every household. We’ve also committed, where possible, to ensuring that a healthier version of a product will not cost more than the standard version.” It’s working – by the end of last year Tesco hit its ambitious target of 65% of its food sales being classed as healthy, up from 58% in 2019.

The supermarket is also addressing the lack of time that parents keenly feel. So many of us crawl through the front door after a 12-hour day of work and commuting to face the challenge of whipping up a healthy, affordable family dinner. “It’s our job to make healthier options more convenient for those leading busy lives,” says Farrell. Initiatives include banning additives – the supermarket does not permit the use of artificial colours, benzoates or flavour enhancers in its products – reformulating products to reduce fat, salt and sugar, while increasing vegetable, fibre and protein content. “Take our ready meals – 28% contain beans, legumes or pulses, and over half contain at least one of your five-a-day.” Then there are the new launches: the High Protein, High Fibre and Gut Sense ranges “give customers quality, nutritious products at an affordable price”.

With the nutrition of the very youngest members of families in mind, Tesco has launched the Baby Food Scorecard, in partnership with the British Nutrition Foundation, becoming the first major supermarket to comply with the initiative. “It can be used to assess products against the latest feeding advice and prioritise areas for change,” says Farrell. “This will help empower parents to make healthier choices.” This is so important, says Hindal: “Healthy habits are shaped across the life course, but the evidence tells us that early life, including pregnancy, infancy and the early years is especially critical.”

All of these are laudable schemes and Tesco has set itself a new target of achieving year-on-year increases in healthy food sales for the next four years, up to 2030. But responsibility for making healthy eating easier for families, whatever their budget and wherever they live, goes beyond supermarket initiatives. Others need to step up too. “The food industry has a critical role to play and we’ve seen progress,” says Hindal. “But for the level of change we need to see, government leadership and coordinated work with organisations across society is crucial.”

Regulation and meaningful investment in early years support, school food and local food environments are also needed. Ultimately, this is not just a family matter – everyone in society has a part to play. We owe it to the next generation.

Find out more about how Tesco can help you and your family eat more healthily at: Tesco Recipes: For a little help making recipes you’ll all love