New research has identified the 50 places where people are most likely to struggle to access affordable food.
Which? and researchers from the Consumer Research Data Centre at the University of Leeds have created a Priority Places for Food Index to show where people need extra support to access healthy and affordable food.
It found factors such as low income, a lack of online shopping deliveries and circumstances such as not having access to a car can make it hard for people to put food on the table.
The index shows almost half (45%) of local areas in the North East are in 'dire' need of extra support due to poor access to online shopping deliveries, being further away from supermarkets and the need for support such as food banks and free school meals.
Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands and the North West all have about a third of local areas in the region in need of extra help. Birmingham Hodge Hill is considered considered the worst, as 100% of its local areas are in need of extra support.
Which? has created a 10-point plan to help supermarkets provide the support people around the country desperately need including clear and transparent pricing, access to affordable food ranges across all stores and more targeted promotions.
Michelle Morris, associate professor nutrition and lifestyle analytics at the University of Leeds, said: 'With so many people in the UK already suffering from food insecurity and the cost of living crisis making that much worse, we need to do all that we can to support those most in need to access affordable, healthy and sustainable foods.
'That is why we have developed the Priority Places for Food Index in collaboration with Which?. Our interactive map makes it easy to identify neighbourhoods most in need of support and highlights the main reasons that they need this support, recognising that one size does not fit all and that tailored help is required.'
