Healthy eating at low prices this New Year from the Change4Life campaign

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJan 3 2012

As a part of healthy living campaign four million recipe cards will be distributed to the public. More than a thousand supermarket stores across the country are offering discounts on healthy ingredients such as fruits and vegetables and low fat yoghurts as part of the Department of Health's “Change4Life” public health campaign.

The recipe cards are accompanied by an online recipe finder to help households plan cheaper, more nutritious meals as the Government ramps up efforts to persuade English families to eat healthier meals.

A Department of Health spokesman said, “Shockingly, research has found that the second most popular evening meal is a sandwich opposed to a balanced meal… This doesn't have to be the case. If we plan our meals and shopping we can save money and make healthier choices at mealtimes.”

Meanwhile, celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott has published a free cookbook containing a month's worth of popular, healthy recipes which can be created for under £5. He has also filmed YouTube cooking tutorials which will be posted on the Change4Life website as part of the nation-wide Supermeals initiative.

Harriott added, “Sometimes the thought of making meals from scratch can seem a bit daunting, but I have always tried to assure people that cooking at home can be really quick, easy and doesn't need to break the bank. This campaign is a great way to give people the tools and imagination they need to get back into the kitchen and give cooking a try.”

Public Health Minister Anne Milton said, “The New Year is a good time to think about losing weight. The Supermeals campaign will give us all some great ideas for balanced meals on a budget.”

The discounted ingredients will be available at Asda, Co-operative Food and Aldi stores across England. Among the meals being promoted are vegetable soup, Sunday roast and cauliflower cheese.
But Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott said, “They're calling this public health but it's just a glorified advertisement for big business. This is a government that doesn't take its responsibility around public health seriously…Some areas in inner cities are fresh food deserts so families fall into eating takeaway chicken and chips.”

Dale Rees, a spokesman for the British Dietetic Association, told the BBC the initiative was a positive step. “Evidence shows that people who eat a diet low in fat, added sugars and salt are less likely to develop chronic diseases in later life. You can protect against heart disease, for example, plus you're less likely to be obese and have weight-related health problems,” said the dietician.

Referring to the issues raised by Ms Abbott, he said, “We need to tackle those black spots to make sure fresh food is made available for those people. But that shouldn't stop the promotion of eating healthy food on a budget.”