TWO areas in Gwent have been included in a list of Wales’ most deprived “food deserts”, in a study commissioned by cereal producer Kellogg’s.

A food desert is an urban, populated area where it is difficult to buy affordable, quality fresh food in supermarkets or greengrocers’ shops.

In Newport, an area comprising Lliswerry, Ringland and Bishpool was found to be the third most deprived food desert in Wales.

An area of Blaenau Gwent taking in Brynmawr and Pontygof in Ebbw Vale was ninth on the list.

The study reveals how people in lower-income areas experience “food insecurity” – the inability to provide for themselves and their families, or the uncertainty they can do so regularly.

“Everyday food insecurity is on the rise in neighbourhoods across the United Kingdom,” according to the University of Sheffield’s Dr Megan Blake, who contributed to the study.

“Unlike other countries, the United Kingdom does not measure food insecurity, however some estimates suggest that just over one fifth of the UK population experiences some level of everyday food insecurity.”

The study shows how many of the UK’s food deserts are clustered in regions where households, according to recent ONS figures, have the least disposable income: Wales, the West Midlands, and northern England.

According to the study, 26 per cent of people in the lowest income bracket (£10,000 or less annual income) had cut back on other expenditure to pay for groceries. 14 per cent had cut back on their own eating to make sure their children could eat, and eight per cent had borrowed money to pay for groceries.

The normal amount of food shops in an area was between three and seven stores, making a food desert an area with two or fewer stores.

This can make it difficult for people living in out-of-town estates with poor public transport links, or people who do not own a car, to access food shops with ease.

The study found that while online deliveries could, in theory, help people in food areas, the some supermarkets’ minimum order value could be more than the weekly shopping budget for people on low incomes.