Government has revealed that it will partner with food retailers and manufacturers to “tackle the obesity epidemic” by monitoring healthy food sales.
As part of the forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan, large retailers including supermarkets will be set a new standard to make the average shopping basket of goods sold “slightly healthier”.
Government said businesses will be given “the freedom to meet the standard however works best for them”, whether that’s reformulating products and tweaking recipes, changing shop layouts, offering discounts on healthy foods, or changing loyalty schemes to promote healthier options.
As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, large retailers will be set a new standard to make the average shopping basket of goods sold slightly healthier.
Government highlighted that the policy will see all big food businesses report on healthy food sales, aiming to set “full transparency and accountability” around the food that businesses are selling and encourage healthier products.
Targets will then be set to “increase the healthiness of sales” in communities across the UK and work with the Food Strategy Advisory Board on the sequencing of the policy.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed claimed that the food strategy will “bring together the health plan, food producers and retailers” to feed the nation healthier foods while growing the food sector, but MP Helen Whately said that telling people what to buy was “not up to Government”.
On Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary commented: “They’ve had 14 years in opposition to think about what they wanted to do about the NHS.
“They’ve had a year in Government, and the number one thing in it seems to be hide the crisps.
“Telling people what to buy, I think, is not up to Government. I believe in personal responsibility.”
Meat industry highlights benefits of food education
A spokesperson for the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) said: “The manifesto under which the Labour Party won last year’s election said, ‘We will reduce food prices by removing barriers to businesses trading‘ and yet this DHSC prescription for the UK’s world leading food industry appears to be a policy that will increase food prices as a result of the cost of implementing the new standard.
“Surely the large businesses, supermarkets and the businesses that supply them already have to conform to a myriad of standards without being told by Government what hard working consumers place in their shopping baskets in an attempt to make ‘the goods sold slightly healthier’.”
AIMS went on to advise consumers to purchase more fresh vegetables, meat and poultry as well as salad ingredients, while reducing spend on other supermarket categories.
Nick Allen, CEO of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), stated: “Given the obesity crisis in the UK, any measures that seek to improve the diets of British consumers has to be considered and should have a balanced diet of fresh, whole foods at the centre. However, evidence would suggest that funding and efforts should also be directed at improving how children are educated about food in schools.
“We hear reports of children entering education with little or no understanding of food basics and not being able to recognise certain vegetables or understand where food comes from.
“Preparing and cooking fresh food from scratch is also a skill that’s being increasingly lost as families rely more on packaged, pre-prepared food, and cooking is taught less in schools. Re-gaining that knowledge and connection with the food we eat from an early age would go a long way to improving our diet and health outcomes.”
Retailers call for health reporting
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy stated: “All food businesses have a critical part to play in providing good quality, affordable and healthy food. At Tesco, we have measured and published our own healthier food sales for a number of years now - we believe it is key to more evidence-led policy and better-targeted health interventions.
“That’s why we have called for mandatory reporting for all supermarkets and major food businesses and why we welcome the Government’s announcement on this. We look forward to working with them on the detail of the Healthy Food Standard and its implementation by all relevant food businesses.”
Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s commented: “We’re passionate about making good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone and have been championing the need for mandatory health reporting, across the food industry for many years.
“Today’s announcement from Government is an important and positive step forward in helping the nation to eat well. We need a level playing field across the entirety of our food sector for these actions to have a real and lasting impact.
“We look forward to working across Government and our wider industry on the further development of these policies and in helping to drive improved health outcomes across our nation.”
FDF and BRC welcome the partnership
Andrew Opie, director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), commented: “Retailers have led the way in helping customers make healthier choices. We are really pleased that the Government has not only acknowledged this but has also brought forward a long-term strategy across all food businesses to build on our progress.
“We look forward to working with the Government on delivering a plan which should make a difference in helping everyone make better choices around calorie consumption wherever they buy their food.”
A Food and Drink Federation (FDF) spokesperson said: “Food and drink manufacturers take the issue of obesity and poor diets very seriously and have made significant progress over the past decade to support healthier diets
“In 2024 alone, businesses invested £180 million in R&D to develop healthier products. As a result, FDF members’ products now have 31% less salt, 30% less sugar and 24% fewer calories, compared to a decade ago.
“We know that bold and coordinated action is needed to support the nation’s health and welcome the Government’s plans to introduce mandatory reporting of healthier food sales across the whole food system.
“We look forward to working in partnership with Government to build a healthier future, ensuring that there’s a stable regulatory environment to give businesses the confidence to continue investing in developing healthier options for shoppers.”
