Monday, 24 March 2025
A new study has shown that almost all people claiming Universal Credit aren’t able to eat properly, with many never eating fruit or vegetables, and a significant proportion regularly not eating for whole days at a time, leading to deficiencies in vital nutrients.
The Benefits and Nutrition Study (BEANS) was led by the University of Nottingham’s Division of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics to examine food insecurity among people who claim Universal Credit. Their findings, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, show that 85% of those in receipt of Universal Credit are food insecure and struggle to eat properly, with 73% reporting that they go whole days without food and 39% never eating fruit and 16% never eating vegetables.
The researchers also found that the loss of the £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit added during covid resulted in an almost doubling of reported reliance on food banks.
Household food insecurity is defined by having limited and uncertain access to adequate food and is currently a significant health concern. Food insecurity is associated with a range of adverse health conditions including; childhood stunting, respiratory disease and, paradoxically, obesity and diabetes.
For this study, data was collected from 328 adults aged 16-65 from across the UK who were in receipt of Universal Credit, with the household equivalised income ranging from £135.58-£300.67 per household per week depending on the number of adults and children. Those households on less than £200 per week were found to be the most at risk of food insecurity.
Study participants completed an online survey that asked them a range of questions about their food and shopping habits. They were also asked to provide details of their food intake over a four day period.
The data showed that participants were consuming an extremely limited diet containing few protein sources and minimal or, in some cases, zero fruit and vegetables. There was also a reliance on bread, something respondants referred to as a ‘beige’ diet. The experts analysed the micronutrient content of participants’ diets and found them to have very low intakes of vitamin A, iron, selenium, potassium, iodine and magnesium which, for many, was considerably below dietary requirements to support health.
Although we know that there is a link between food insecurity and poverty we were surprised by the results as it showed clearly that nearly everyone claiming Universal Credit faced food insecurity over the period of the study. It was also starkly apparent that the choices people are having to make about food will have an effect on their health, with a lack of fruit and vegetables and limited food diversity leading to micronutrient deficiencies.
Dr Welham continues: “Selenium in particular stood out as one of the micronutrients people weren’t getting enough of, with the majority consuming below a level known as the lower reference nutrient intake. The lower reference nutrient intake defines an intake that is adequate for only the 2.5% of the population with very lowest requirements (typically the smallest and least metabolically active). Everyone else (97.5%) requires more. In this study, almost 70% of Universal Credit recipients consumed below this lower reference nutrient intake level. Selenium is essential as plays an indispensable role as an antioxidant to protect against damage from oxidative stress. If we can’t do this then significant tissue injury occurs and the prevalence of age associated diseases such as heart disease and cancer is far greater.”
Additionally, the study showed that people who lived further away from the shops were also more likely to experience food insecurity as they would have to make more trips on public transport to get their shopping and were limited to what they could carry, so they may have to rely on more expensive local shops with a much reduced variety of products.
We would expect that, as the cost of living has risen significantly since we carried out this study, the situation for people on Universal Credit today is even bleaker. This is a complex issue to solve and there are many reasons why people can’t access better food, but this study shows that interventions are needed to ensure that everyone can obtain an appropriate diet at an affordable price, or large numbers of society’s very poorest people will experience a rapid decline in health.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Simon Welham on Simon.Welham@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 24 in Europe and 15th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…