Belfast West has more than a dozen areas with worst access to affordable food

Shoppers in the fruit and vegetables section of a branch of Sainsbury's in south London. Shoppers are said to be buying a raft of Christmas items, such as presents and frozen turkeys, early in a bid to make sure their festive celebrations are not heavily disrupted for a second year. Picture date: Friday October 15, 2021.

More than a dozen neighbourhoods in Belfast West are among those in Scotland where people are most likely to struggle to access affordable food, a study suggests.

More than a dozenneighbourhoods in Belfast West are among those in Scotland where people are most likely to struggle to access affordable food, a study suggests.

Millions of households are feeling the pinch at the tills this winter, as the soaring cost of fuel has a knock-on effect on everyday essentials.

In response, researchers from the University of Leeds and the consumer champion Which? have created an index ranking areas on how likely they are to need support to access affordable and healthy food.

In Belfast West, 18 of the constituency's 50 neighbourhoods were ranked as within the worst 20% for food affordability across Northern Ireland.

The index combined factors such as the number of households on low income, proximity to large supermarkets, the number of children on free school meals, and the availability of online deliveries, to assess which areas were the most in need of access to healthy, reasonably-priced food.

Michelle Morris, associate professor 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 aff