Grocery stores in deprived areas with low supermarket density

This policy would provide business rates relief to businesses that operate in deprived areas with low supermarket density and where access to affordable and nutritious food is limited. The aim is to increase the number of grocery stores in these areas in order to make more affordable, varied and higher-quality food more accessible, facilitating healthier diets. 

In the UK currently, more than a million people live in areas where there is limited access to fresh and affordable food. Low access to specific food environments is associated with increased rates of obesity (Cooksey-Stowers et al. 2017). Supermarkets play an important role in these communities by providing better food accessibility. They are more likely to offer lower costs, wider selections, and superior food quality than smaller outlets like convenience stores, which are more common in these neighbourhoods (Titis, 2023). In light of these challenges, business rates relief for grocery stores in food deserts hold the potential to significantly alleviate food insecurity and improve population health outcomes. 

Business rates relief would require likely legislative change via amendments to the Local Government Finance Act 1988 in England, although different mechanisms would be required in the devolved nations, and some rate reliefs which have previously come into effect were pursued via non-legislative means. For instance Scottish NDRs are covered by the Non Domestic Rates (Scotland) 2020 Act. When designing the policy, policymakers would need to consider how to avoid businesses ‘gamifying’ the policy, for example by carefully considering the definition of an ‘expanded’ business.

We estimated that this policy would reduce the prevalence of UK obesity rates by approximately 0%  

Estimating the population reach

In our analytical model, we applied the effect sizes to people living with overweight or obesity. For adults, that is people aged 18 or above with a BMI of 25+. For children, that is children aged 5–17 with a BMI percentile ≥85.

The modelling assumes this policy affects: adults with a BMI ≥ 25, living in areas of deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 4 and 5) and in a food desert in England.

Implementing a policy to provide business rates relief for grocery stores in food deserts can help address inequalities in food access. By incentivising the establishment of grocery stores in these regions, the policy enables individuals who may lack transport or access to healthy food options to obtain affordable and nutritious groceries locally. This initiative promotes equity by ensuring that all members of the community have equal access to essential food items, regardless of their socio-economic status or geographic location.

There is no evidence this policy would increase weight stigma.

We asked experts working in the fields of obesity, food, and health research to rate the strength of the evidence base for each policy, taking into account both reliability (size and consistency) and validity (quality and content) of the evidence. Policies were rated on a Likert scale of 1–5 (none, limited, medium, strong, and very strong evidence base). The Blueprint Expert Advisory Group rated this policy as having a Medium evidence base.