Three in four Essex residents say unhealthier food is easier to find
The new ‘Making Food Fair in Essex’ campaign invites residents to have their say.
A new campaign will explore what makes eating well difficult for people across Essex. It will also give residents a say in what needs to change.
Essex County Council has launched the ‘Making Food Fair in Essex’ campaign. It will examine how the price, availability, advertising and placement of food shape the choices people make.
Research conducted with Essex residents found that 76% of those surveyed said unhealthy options were easier to find than healthier ones. Nearly a third said making healthier choices was too difficult.
Research also shows:
- one in three Essex residents says price affects whether they buy less healthy food1
- 66% of food and drink advertising in Essex promotes less healthy products2
- there are almost 70 fast-food outlets for every 100,000 people in Essex3
The findings echo national research from The Food Foundation. This found that healthier food is nearly twice as expensive per calorie as less healthy food. The gap is now at its widest in more than a decade.
Making Food Fair in Essex is a movement shaped by residents. It aims to start a wider conversation about creating a food environment where healthier options are affordable, accessible and easy to find. Rather than telling people what to eat, it will explore the pressures that can make healthier choices more difficult. This includes cost, limited availability, advertising and promotions for less healthy products.
From today, people across Essex can visit fairfoodinessex.org.uk. Here they can explore five issues affecting food choices. These include affordability, advertising, availability, food placement and lack of choice.
Visitors can vote for the issue that affects them most. They can also share their postcode and see how support for change is growing across the county. The website will outline what the council is doing to help residents eat more healthily.
Councillor Chris Hossack, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Residents and Community Services, said:
“Most people understand the importance of eating well, but making healthier choices is not always straightforward.
This campaign is not about telling people what to eat. It is about listening to Essex residents, understanding the barriers they face and starting a wider conversation about how healthier food can become more affordable, accessible and realistic for everyone.”
Citizen Circles have informed the campaign. This is a small group of Essex residents brought together to discuss their experiences and explore how their local food environment affects them.
One participant said, “Before the sessions, I probably saw food choices as mostly down to personal responsibility. But discussions made me realise how much the environment is quietly steering those choices.”
The launch marks the first phase of the campaign. This is supported by local advertising and promotional activity. Later phases will share stories from residents, businesses and communities. These will explore what healthier, more affordable choices could look like in practice.
The campaign will also take Essex voices to the national stage. Through recipeforchange.org.uk/we-are-
The Charter will be presented at Westminster on 2 November. Representatives from the Essex campaign and its Citizen Circles will attend and share residents’ experiences.
Sources:
- Essex Healthy Weight survey, 2024
- Bite Back, 2025
- NHS England (2018) Putting Health into Place: Introducing NHS England’s Healthy New Town’s programme