New research from Cambridge University suggests that the gap in price between healthy and less healthy food has grown in the last decade.

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Researchers tracked the price of 94 key food and beverage items from 2002 to 2012. Their findings show that more healthy foods were consistently more expensive than less healthy foods, and have risen more sharply in price over time. In the UK, food prices have risen faster than the price of other goods in recent years, exacerbating the price increase of healthier options.

While less healthy foods had a slightly greater price rise relative to 2002, the absolute increase was significantly more for more healthy foods - a total average increase of £1.84 per 1000kcal (of energy) for more healthy food across the decade, compared to £0.73 for less healthy food.

The researchers used government-set standards to show that, in 2002, 1000 kcal of more healthy foods cost an average of £5.65, whereas the same quantity of energy from less healthy food would cost £1.77. By 2012 this cost had changed to £7.49 for more healthy and £2.50 for less healthy foods.

Food poverty and health inequalities on rise in UK

The team, from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR) at the University of Cambridge, warned of the adverse effects this price gap could have for public health.

"Food poverty and the rise of food banks have recently been an issue of public concern in the UK, but as well as making sure people don't go hungry it is also important that a healthy diet is affordable," said lead author Nicholas Jones.

"The increase in the price difference between more and less healthy foods is a factor that may contribute towards growing food insecurity, increasing health inequalities, and a deterioration in the health of the population."

The cost of diet-related ill health to the National Health Service has been estimated at £5.8 billion each year.

The 94 foods and beverages in the study were taken from the Office of National Statistics' Consumer Price Index 'basket': the list of items used to measure inflation in the UK. The items included in the study were those which remained in the 'basket' for every year of the decade analysed.

"The finding shows that there could well be merit in public health bodies monitoring food prices in relation to nutrient content, hopefully taking into account a broader selection of foods than we were able to in this study," said co-author Nicholas Jones.

Farm subsidies' potential impacts on public health

The study's authors say their finding that more healthy food is more expensive tallies with work from similar high income nations. They point to other studies indicating that the EU's Common Agricultural Policy - which subsidises production of certain goods such as dairy, oil and sugar - has the potential to affect public health by influencing the availability and price of foods.

"To help achieve long-term improvements in eating habits, we need to address the high and rising prices of healthier foods, which is likely to be influenced by a number of factors including agricultural policy and production, food distribution, and retail pricing strategies," said Dr Pablo Monsivais from CEDAR in Cambridge.

"Additionally, there is growing evidence that targeted subsidies can promote healthy eating for people on low incomes."