The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has introduced new healthy food standards aimed at helping tackle the obesity crisis affecting millions across the UK. These measures are designed to encourage businesses and supermarkets to offer healthier options and reduce calorie consumption nationwide.
Currently, 2 million adults and 340,000 children in the UK are classified as obese. The DHSC emphasizes that even modest calorie reductions—around 50 calories daily—could help individuals shed excess weight. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting stated, “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. Our new healthy food standard will make the healthy choice the easy choice, because prevention is better than cure.”
The new standards encourage retailers to promote healthier choices through initiatives like discounted prices on nutritious products, reconfiguring store layouts, and reformulating recipes to lower calorie content. Importantly, food businesses will be required to report their sales of healthy products, increasing transparency and accountability within the industry.
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Katharine Jenner, Director of the Obesity Health Alliance, highlighted, “The government has rightly focused on the core issue: a food system that makes healthy eating difficult. This policy shifts responsibility onto the food industry to provide healthier options, rather than placing the burden solely on individuals.”
Anna Taylor, Executive Director of The Food Foundation, welcomed the mandatory sales reporting: “This is a game changer. Consumers will be able to see which companies support healthier choices and which do not. The sooner this is implemented, the better for public health.”
Major retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Aldi have expressed support for the new regulations, noting that many aspects align with their existing commitments to health and nutrition. Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s, emphasized the need for a level playing field: “We look forward to collaborating with the Government and industry to achieve meaningful health improvements nationwide.”
Tesco’s CEO Ken Murphy echoed this, affirming the company’s support for mandatory reporting and the forthcoming rollout of the Healthy Food Standard. Aldi UK’s CEO Giles Hurley also praised the initiative, citing the company’s ongoing efforts to make nutritious food affordable through programs like their Super 6 offers and partnerships with TeamGB and ParalympicsGB.
Together, these measures represent a concerted effort to create a healthier food environment across the UK, potentially transforming the nation’s approach to diet and obesity prevention.