Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to statistics published by the Office for National Statistics on 24 June 2022, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the fall in food store sales of 1.6 per cent in May 2022 on public (a) health and (b) nutrition.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities monitors the available data on population diets and nutrient intakes, including through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Questions on food insecurity have been included in the NDNS since April 2022. The Food Standards Agency also reviews food insecurity and other consumer-related behaviours, through its Food and You survey.

However, the impact of increasing food prices and falls in food sales on population health and nutrition will not be known for some time, while sufficient data is collected and analysed.