Ahead of the NHS 10-year plan, the Government announced plans for a Healthy Food Standard to tackle obesity.
The announcement says that all ‘big food businesses’ will need to report on healthy food sales. It said the reporting will ‘set full transparency and accountability around the food that businesses are selling and encourage healthier products’.
The Government said that businesses will be given the freedom to meet the standard however works best for them. They have included examples including reformulating products and tweaking recipes, changing shop layouts, offering discounts on healthy foods, or changing loyalty schemes to promote healthier options.
It said it will also 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.
Our response
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “The starting point for any effective plan to tackle obesity in the UK must be in schools, by teaching pupils how to cook and by putting food and nutrition back into the curriculum so children can make educated, healthy choices throughout their lives.
“It cannot be about imposing random, mandatory targets for businesses that will not deliver genuine change – but which will add further red tape and costs.
“It is therefore imperative that the Government engages now with the hospitality sector to avoid generating unforeseen consequences for vital businesses such as community pubs, neighbourhood restaurants, local cafes, and school meal providers.
“Mandatory reporting and set targets with unclear outcomes will only add to the financial burden for such businesses which, in the midst of soaring cost-price inflation, are already battling to keep prices low and quality high for hard working families wanting to enjoy the occasional treat and meal out.
“This is a significant opportunity to tackle the obesity epidemic and so it is crucial that key sectors such as ours have our voice heard, so that the Government can get this right and deliver on its promised food revolution.”
