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What does the UK’s healthy food standard mean for manufacturers and supermarkets?

The UK Government has introduced a “healthy food standard” for large food businesses. What will the impact be for industry?

As part of its 10-year health plan for England, food companies including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Nestlé, Danone, and Mars will have to adhere to the standard to make the average shopping basket of goods sold “slightly healthier”.

Many food manufacturers and retailers welcomed the news, pointing to the need for a level playing field on reporting – but representatives of fast food and pub chains appeared less convinced by the approach.

Campaigners, meanwhile, noted that this reflects a major step towards a prevention-first model for the National Health Service (NHS).

“This is a fair and evidence-based prescription for better health,” said Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, adding that 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”.

Plan hoped to tackle soaring obesity rates

The UK has the third-highest rate of obesity in Europe, costing the NHS £11.4 billion a year, according to the UK Government – three times the NHS budget for ambulance services. Public health experts believe cutting the calorie count of a daily diet by just 50 calories would lift 340,000 children and two million adults out of obesity.

A study from UK charity Nesta claimed that 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.

The 10-year plan highlights some of the company-led initiatives already in place. Danone, for example, has committed to never introducing a high fat, salt or sugar product targeted
at children. Sainsbury’s runs a “Great fruit and veg challenge”, promoting fresh produce.

But the plan also notes that these have too often been the exception rather than the rule.

Reporting rules

The first part of the new standard will be reporting on healthy food sales. Targets will then be set to increase the healthy sales within the average basket. How the supermarkets meet the targets will be left up to them – with possible solutions including changes to store layouts or adjusting loyalty points in favour of healthier products and promotions.

A basket of healthy food costs more than double that of less healthy options, according to recent research by the Food Foundation, with 1,000 calories of healthy food such as fruit and veg costing £8.80, compared to £4.30 for the equivalent amount of less healthy food, such as ready meals and processed meats.

The foundation’s chief executive, Anna Taylor, said the government’s new announcement marked real momentum.

“We’ve been on this one for four years – and it’s a gamechanger,” she added.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the new strategy was "radically different" from the previous government’s "nanny state approach of dictating to people the prices, the marketing" and instead worked “with supermarkets” to encourage healthier eating. The shadow cabinet suggested the plans amounted to “hiding the crisps”.

UKHospitality, which represents many fast food chains, as well as pubs and hotels, warned of “red tape and costs stifling the sector”, raising concerns that time spent eating out could be tainted if people could not treat themselves. The organisation also questioned the benefits of “imposing random, mandatory targets for businesses that will not deliver genuine change”.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drink Federation, which represents manufacturers in the UK, welcomed mandatory reporting and said it “looked forward” to “working in partnership with government to build a healthier future”.

FDF said last year 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.