Healthy food revolution will tackle obesity epidemic, says Streeting

Food retailers and manufacturers will “make the healthy choice the easy choice” in a world-first partnership between government and industry to tackle the obesity epidemic and ease pressure on the NHS as part of the Plan for Change. 

As part of the forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan, large retailers including supermarkets will set a new standard to make the average shopping basket of goods sold slightly healthier. 

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. 

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 is one of the root causes of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. With the UK now having the third highest rate of adult obesity in Europe, it remains a critical public health challenge, costing the NHS £11.4 billion a year, three times the NHS budget for ambulance services. 

Obesity rates have doubled since the 1990s, including among children. A forthcoming report by the Chief Medical Officer will show 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. 

It follows the government setting out in recent days a number of measures to tackle rapidly growing health inequalities, including investing more in working class communities where health disparities are greatest, and rapid action on the maternal mortality gaps in Black, Asian and working class communities. 

Through our Plan for Change, the government is shifting the focus from treatment to prevention and creating a more active state – that works with partners to make the healthy choice the easy choice – and a transition of the NHS from a sickness service to a prevention service.   

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:    

“Obesity has doubled since the 1990s and costs our 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. 

“The good news is that it only takes a small change to make a big difference. 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 heathier, 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. 

“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.” 

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: 

"Britain has some of the best farmers, growers, food manufacturers and retailers in the world, which means we have more choice than ever before on our shelves.  

"It is vital for the nation that the food industry delivers healthy food, that is available, affordable and appealing.   

“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.” 

The policy will see all big food businesses report on healthy food sales. This will set full transparency and accountability around the food that businesses are selling and encourage healthier products. 

The government will then set targets to increase the healthiness of sales in communities across the UK and work with the Food Strategy Advisory Board on the sequencing of this policy.  

Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, said:  

“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." 

Ravi Gurumurthy, CEO of Nesta, said: 

“Most of us want to lose weight and make healthier choices but the food that surrounds us makes that too hard. That's why obesity has doubled since the 90s. 

“This new standard focuses on lots of small changes that make it easier to buy food that's a little bit healthier. Nationally, it could send obesity rates down by a fifth - through business and government working together to improve our health.” 

Sue Davies, Which? Head of Food Policy, said: 

“Which? research has shown that people want retailers to do more to support them in making healthier choices. Six in 10 (60%) consumers said they support the government introducing health targets for supermarkets.  

“Mandatory food targets will help to incentivise retailers to use the range of tactics available to them to make small but significant changes - making it easier for people to eat a balanced diet and lead healthier lives.” 

John Maingay, Director of Policy at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said: 

"A new standard to make meals across the UK healthier is a huge step towards creating a food environment that supports better heart health. This move recognises the vital role that businesses can play in supporting everyone to have a healthier diet. 

"Obesity puts people at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, which remains one of the UK's biggest killers. We hope to see real momentum behind this new standard to make the healthier choice the easiest choice once and for all." 

Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: 

"Businesses can play a major role in supporting people to make healthy choices, and this important step could help to reduce rising obesity rates. 

"Being overweight or obese is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK, and is linked with 13 different types of the disease. The UK government must introduce further bold preventative policies in both the upcoming 10-year health plan and National Cancer Plan, so that more lives can be saved from cancer." 

Katharine Jenner, Director, Obesity Health Alliance 

“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.  

“The government has rightly identified the root cause of obesity-related ill health: a food system that makes healthy eating difficult. Crucially, it puts the spotlight on the food industry and commits to holding it accountable for providing healthier options - rather than placing the burden on individuals who are already struggling to get by.” 

Major investment firms have already signalled that they would be keen to invest more in healthier products, if they were given due prominence and promotion by food retailers. 

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. 

The changes are part of the government's 10 Year Health Plan, due to be published shortly. The plan will radically reform the health service and improve the health of the nation, to make the NHS sustainable and fit for the future. 

Sarah Price, NHS England Director for Public Health, said: 

“A healthy diet, which includes a variety of nutritious food can help people stay well and provide long-term health benefits, which is good for them and good for the NHS. 

“That is why this move to make it easier for people to shop for healthy and nutritious food options is so important – it will help people reduce the risk of developing a range of life-altering physical conditions, such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes – both of which are on the increase in England.”