Yesterday, I attended an open panel discussion at the Royal Society, London, hosted by MyNutriWeb Nutritalks, focusing on food insecurity and malnutrition in the UK. Nutritalks, a series of “conversations for change,” aims to deliver a 10-point roadmap to government to tackle malnutrition – a bold and idealistic proposal. Yet what struck me most wasn’t just the ambition of the plan, but the human urgency behind it.
The scale of the problem
The numbers are stark:
Three million people in the UK are living with or at risk of malnutrition at any one time, with 93% in the community.
Malnutrition costs the UK over £23.5 billion per year, around 15% of the health and social care budget.
Evidence suggests that nutritional care pathways could save up to £229 million annually, yet over a third of dietitians believe malnutrition remains low on the NHS’ list of priorities.
Rising food inflation (19.1% in April 2023) has left 11 million people in the UK experiencing food insecurity, forcing families toward cheap, nutritionally poor foods.
Nearly all dietitians surveyed reported an increased need for intervention, highlighting a growing crisis in both awareness and access.
Hearing these figures made me pause. I’ve lived in London for many years, and while I’ve never been food insecure myself, I can see how we are all inching closer to this reality. Rising prices, stagnant wages, and the increasing cost of even basic meals mean that more of us are making compromises on what we eat. I remember arriving in London from Italy years ago, managing to save and enjoy meals out comfortably; now, even a pizza for one can feel like a luxury. This is not just a statistic – it’s personal, and it affects our families, our children, and our communities.
Image credit: Hannah Tasker – unsplash
Food as a human right
Professor Kevin Morgan reminded the room: “Food is not like a commodity but a unique fundamental essential for life. Nutrition is the Cinderella in the NHS.” I couldn’t agree more. Food is holistic, therapeutic, and preventive, yet in the UK it is still undervalued. Someone quoted Kevin Hall who once said, “Nutrition is not rocket science; it’s harder.” The truth is, it takes intention, education, and systemic change to place food where it belongs – at the heart of health care and community life.
Lessons from the NHS
Chef Raouf Mansour, with over 30 years’ experience, shared how professional training transformed hospital food services. It made me reflect on how often good nutrition is limited by perception rather than possibility. If we can improve food in hospitals, schools, and care settings, why not carry that philosophy into every home? Families, too, can reclaim food education, cooking skills, and healthy habits from an early age.
As someone who grew up in Italy, I know the difference that early food education can make. We learn to appreciate, prepare, and respect food from the womb and throughout childhood. That foundation carries into adulthood, shaping health and wellbeing and it fosters a lifelong understanding that nourishment is not just about calories, but about culture, connection, and care – lessons that too many in the UK are missing today.
