Major UK retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Aldi have welcomed the government's new healthy food standard to tackle rising obesity rates. The initiative, unveiled by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, will require supermarkets to publicly disclose the proportion of healthy food sales in their stores.
Part of the new Ten-Year Health Plan, the measure aims to guide consumers toward healthier choices, without intervening on prices or banning certain products. Operators will have freedom in how to achieve the goals: they will be able to reformulate recipes, change the arrangement of products, incentivize promotions on healthy items or adapt loyalty programs.
While the approach is collaborative, those who fail to meet nutritional targets could face fines. “We want to reduce the amount of unhealthy food in shopping carts and baskets, without drastic impositions,” Streeting said, calling the measure “an unprecedented approach worldwide.”
According to the Department of Health, even a small reduction – such as 50 fewer calories a day – could lift more than 340.000 children out of obesity. The UK is now the third most obese country in Europe for adults, and one in five children leaves primary school already overweight.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said the company has long monitored sales of healthy products and supports data-driven policies. For Simon Roberts (Sainsbury's), "it is a vital step forward in helping the country eat better." Aldi, through CEO Giles Hurley, also reiterated its commitment to healthy and accessible food.
