Key Summary
- Under Plan for Change, food retailers will be set a new standard to make the shopping basket of goods sold slightly healthier
- They will be given the freedom to decide on what works best for them to meet the standard
- The new standard will provide a level playing field for food retailers, so that there is no first mover disadvantage
The government wants to involve food retailers and manufacturers in tackling the obesity epidemic as part of its Plan for Change.
The UK has the third highest rate of adult obesity in Europe and it is one of the root causes of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
As part of the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan, large retailers will be set a new standard to make the average shopping basket of goods sold slightly healthier.
They will be given the freedom to decide on what works best for them to meet the standard.
It could be reformulating products and tweaking recipes, changing shop layouts, offering discounts on healthy foods, or changing loyalty schemes to promote healthier options.
Public health experts believe cutting the calorie count of a daily diet by just 50 calories would lift 340,000 children and 2 million adults out of obesity.
If everyone who is overweight reduced their calorie intake by just 216 calories a day, equivalent to a single bottle of fizzy drink, obesity would be halved.
Obesity rates have doubled since the 1990s, including among children.
A report by the Chief Medical Officer shows that more than 1 in 5 children are living with obesity by the time they leave primary school, rising to almost 1 in 3 in areas with higher levels of poverty and deprivation.
Health secretary, Wes Streeting, pointed out that obesity costs NHS £11 billion a year, triple the budget for ambulance services.
"Unless we curb the rising tide of cost and demand, the NHS risks becoming unsustainable."
He said even small changes in lifestyle, like cutting down 200 calories a day, could make a big difference.
"This government’s ambition for kids today is for them to be part of the healthiest generation of children ever," he said.
The secretary said the new healthy food standard will make "the healthy choice the easy choice".
"By shifting from sickness to prevention through our Plan for Change, we will make sure the NHS can be there for us when we need it," he added.
NHS England Director for Public Health Sarah Price said a healthy diet can provide people long-term health benefits, "which is good for them and good for the NHS".
"Many supermarkets want to do more to make the average shopping basket healthier, but they risk changes hitting their bottom lines if their competitors don’t act at the same time. The new standard will introduce a level playing field, so there isn’t a first mover disadvantage," she added.
The move has been welcomed by the promoters of supermarket chains like Tesco, Sainsbury, and Nesta.
Tesco Group CEO Ken Murphy said, "We look forward to working with them on the details of the Healthy Food Standard and its implementation by all relevant food businesses."
