Exclusive: Food, Farming and Countryside Commission added up cost to NHS and economy of diet-linked disease

The UK’s growing addiction to unhealthy food costs a “staggering” £268bn a year, far outstripping the budget for the whole NHS, the first research into the subject has found.

Increasing consumption of foods either high in fat, salt and sugar or which have been highly processed is having a “devastating” impact on human health and Britain’s finances.