Nearly half of people in South Wales struggle to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, says nutritionist

Nearly half of South Wales residents (47%) struggle to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, with 70% of lower-income households no longer considering nutritional value due to rising costs.

Data from the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) showed that nearly half of all adults screened across various health settings were at risk of disease-related malnutrition, with the highest prevalence among those at home and in care homes.

They believe the pandemic has further aggravated this issue, leading to increased food insecurity and malnutrition among children, especially those from low-income families and those with underlying health conditions.

A survey across South Wales by company Nourished found 80% feel they aren't getting enough nutrients, and 70% believe the situation will worsen as time goes on.

They also found that 57% believe poor diet and nourishment have risen over the past five years, which they believe is causing a nutritional crisis.

Data from the British Dietetic Association (BDA) and British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) reveal widespread malnutrition in the UK, aggravated by the pandemic and economic pressures.

They continue that rising food prices have made maintaining a nutritious diet difficult, with 47% of people from the survey by Nourished say they struggle to afford fresh produce and 49% ignoring nutritional value.

This figure jumps to 70% among lower-income households.

Melissa Snover is a nutritionist and CEO of Nourished, she told us that by making small changes to your list, your nutrition levels could improve drastically. For example, Melissa says that even canned fruit and veg can be low-cost and have high vitamin and nutritional value.

The survey data was taken from a OnePoll study of 2,000 British adults aged 18+ in February 2024 for Nourished.