Supermarkets To Partner With Government In Obesity Drive: 'Make The Healthy Choice The Easy Choice'

Supermarkets and food manufacturers in England are joining forces with the government in what ministers have called a “radically different” plan to tackle rising obesity rates—aiming to make healthier food choices more accessible and affordable for all.

Under a newly announced partnership, major food retailers will work alongside the Department of Health to reshape the weekly shop and nudge consumers towards healthier habits. Businesses will be given the flexibility to decide how they achieve this, but options include promotions on healthy items, changes to loyalty schemes, and rethinking store layouts to encourage healthier purchases.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting insisted this was “radically different” from the previous “nanny stated approach of dictating to people the prices, the marketing,” adding that the strategy would instead focus on “working with supermarkets” to encourage healthier eating.

Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg with host Victoria Derbyshire, Streeting said: “If we reduced our calorie intake by just fifty calories a day then we can get well over 300,000 children out of obesity, 2 million adults.”

Retailers will also be required to report on the proportion of healthier food sold, as part of the new Healthy Food Standard—a move designed to increase accountability and drive long-term change across the food sector. Targets will be agreed in partnership with industry.

The strategy, part of a forthcoming 10-Year Plan for the NHS in England, comes as new data reveals that more than one in five children are obese by the time they leave primary school—a figure that rises to nearly one in three in the most deprived areas. Obesity is estimated to cost the NHS £11 billion annually.

The Food Foundation highlighted the economic barriers to healthy eating, reporting that 1,000 calories of healthy food such as fruit and vegetables costs £8.80, compared to £4.30 for the same amount of less healthy food, such as ready meals or processed meats.

Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, welcomed the move, saying: “The government has rightly identified the root cause of obesity-related ill health: a food system that makes healthy eating difficult.” She added it was promising to see the government focusing on businesses “rather than placing the burden on individuals who are already struggling to get by."

Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortium said the news is “really positive” but stressed that “all food businesses” must work together to reduce obesity. “Engaging all food businesses makes a difference,” Opie told the BBC. “It can't just be about supermarkets — we consume about a quarter of our calories outside the home, so unless we get all supermarkets, food retailers, and restaurants on board, we won't move the dial on obesity.”

He also supported the flexible approach, noting that retailers have “a lot of insights and data” into shopping behaviour and what works for their customers.

However, not everyone was convinced. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately criticised the strategy, calling it overly interventionist. “Telling people what to buy, I think, is not up to government. I believe in personal responsibility,” she told Sky News’. “They've had 14 years in opposition to think about what they wanted to do about the NHS,” she added, “and the number one thing in it seems to be hide the crisps."

In addition to the retail partnership, the government announced a raft of supporting initiatives:

• A new app offering shopping vouchers to customers who eat healthily and stay active

• Doubling spaces on the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme for those with diabetes or high blood pressure

• Exploring tighter advertising rules on alcohol in line with junk food restrictions

  
  

Research cited by the government shows that cutting just 50 calories per day could lift 340,000 children and 2 million adults out of obesity. If everyone who is overweight reduced their daily intake by 216 calories—roughly the equivalent of one fizzy drink—obesity rates in the UK could be halved.

Yet some remain sceptical about the scheme’s potential reach. Sarah Woolnough from The King's Fund think tank said: “A lot of less healthy food and drink is purchased from local convenience shops and takeaways. The stark fact remains that unhealthy food is far cheaper and more readily available and so unless this change is part of a wider, comprehensive strategy it will not be enough.”

As the full 10-Year Plan for the NHS is expected to be unveiled next week, all eyes will be on how far this “healthy food revolution” can go—and whether supermarkets, restaurants, and manufacturers are truly ready to step up to the plate.

Sources: BBC News - Gov.uk