The price and availability of food in Glasgow: a systematic study of an urban foodscape

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that foods which are beneficial to health may be more expensive, and more difficult to obtain, in deprived compared with more affluent areas, and that this may help to explain the greater adherence to healthy eating guidelines consistently reported in more affluent areas of the UK. In this paper, we report on an investigation of the price and availability of 57 foods, previously defined as representing a 'modest but adequate diet', in different retail formats and areas differing in socioeconomic deprivation within Greater Glasgow. In this setting, shop type was the main predictor of food price and availability, cheaper prices and greater availability being mainly found in multiple and discount stores, which were more likely to be located in more deprived rather than affluent areas. Prices did not vary greatly by area deprivation and, when they did, they tended to be lower in poorer areas. Foods cheaper in poorer areas tended towards the high-fat, high-sugar types, the consumption of which current dietary guidelines suggest need to be reduced. We suggest that these findings point to the need for more systematic, empirical, large-scale studies of variations in food price and availability, and their public health consequences.