Supermarkets could be fined if they do not meet new 'healthy food standard'
Rachael Davis
Featured Image Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor/Getty Images
Obesity poses significant health risks, as does being classified as ‘overweight’.
The UK’s obesity rate hit a record high in 2022, per the NHS, with 29% of adults falling into the category. A total of 64% of UK adults were classified as overweight or obese in the UK, and this is a major concern for the current UK health secretary, Wes Streeting.
Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing a litany of potential health issues, including type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, osteoarthritis, strokes, heart disease, sleep apnoea, and psychological issues.
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With these risks in mind, the obesity rate puts huge pressure on the NHS, and the government drive towards curbing obesity rates is thus about cutting back on the number of people who develop obesity-related illnesses.
Along with a TV advertising ban on ‘junk’ food that’s due in 2026, the government is increasing pressure on supermarkets to meet a new ‘healthy food standard’.
The healthy food standard will apply to retailers and manufacturers in England as part of a 10-year strategy to cut diet-related diseases, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.
Initially developed by innovation agency Nesta, the policy introduces mandatory health targets for retailers while giving them flexibility in how to meet them, such as by tweaking recipes, running price promotions on healthier items, or redesigning store layouts.
Supermarkets will be required to report sales data and those that fail to hit targets could face financial penalties, Nesta suggested.
Nesta analysed 36 million supermarket transactions, finding an average shopping basket health score of 67 out of 100, and has set a target to raise this to 69.
Its modelling shows that raising the score by just two points would cut obesity by around a fifth over three years, helping more than three million people to achieve a healthier weight.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “If everyone who is overweight reduced their calorie intake by around 200 calories a day – the equivalent of a bottle of fizzy drink – obesity would be halved.
“This Government’s ambition for kids today is for them to be part of the healthiest generation of children ever. That is within our grasp. With the smart steps we’re taking today, we can give every child a healthy start to life.
“Our brilliant supermarkets already do so much work for our communities and are trying to make their stores healthier, and we want to work with them and other businesses to create a level playing field.
“Through our new healthy food standard, we will make the healthy choice the easy choice, because prevention is better than cure.”
The Government aims to introduce mandatory reporting by the end of this parliament in 2029, with the standard to be achieved some way into the next.
Ken Murphy, chief executive of Tesco, welcomed the announcement, while Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, called it an “important and positive step forward in helping the nation to eat well”.
Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “This is a fair and evidence-based prescription for better health; big businesses urgently need the government to level the playing field to help them focus on selling products that help people live well.”
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Our food strategy will bring together the health plan, food producers and retailers to make sure we can feed the nation more healthily while growing the economic success of our food sector.”
Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said: “The introduction of mandatory reporting by all large food companies, including takeaway chains, on the healthiness of their food sales is a game changer.”
Sonia Pombo, head of impact and research at Action on Salt, said: “This will help shift the responsibility away from individuals and toward a food system that truly supports healthier choices.”