High cost of food in Wales

The Bevan Foundation has commented on the high cost of living faced by families in Wales.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics reported in the Western Mail on 9th February 2013 show that Welsh households spend more than the UK average on food and alcoholic drinks – 13.2% of their income compared with 11.5%. Households in rural areas of the UK spend more than those in urban areas.

Victoria Winckler Director of the Bevan Foundation said that households across Wales were genuinely facing a choice between “heating and eating”.

“When we had very cold weather like we did recently, people on a very small fixed income can simply find in order to keep warm all their cash has to go on their electricity and gas key-cards and nothing is left over. Because they have so little cash nothing is left over for cold days.”  Dr Winckler said that food prices in rural areas tend to be higher and – when combined with the low average incomes in Wales – this may account for the greater proportion of the budget spent on meals.