UK is running out of time on healthy food reforms, warn 68 health groups

Sixty-eight health organizations and experts are urging the UK government to speed up food policy reforms to target obesity and improve public health, warning that the government is running out of time to deliver promised healthy food reforms.

On November 12, the group sent an open letter to the nation’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Yvette Cooper, urging her to publish the consultation on Healthier Food Targets and Reporting, promised last year in the government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England.

The policy in question would require large food companies to measure, report, and improve the healthiness of their products. However, the UK government has not yet opened a consultation period, which health organizations worry will delay action on the rising childhood obesity rates and health disparities. 

The letter, coordinated by the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), stresses that mandatory reporting is important for creating a level playing field for food industry players and will help improve health for children and deprived communities. 

It urges ministers to set out a timetable for implementation within the current Parliament, which is needed not just to prevent worsening health, but also to reduce pressure on the National Health Service (NHS).

“The government says it wants to shift the NHS from treating sickness to preventing it, yet one of its most important opportunities to do just that is still waiting to get off the starting blocks,” comments Katharine Jenner, OHA executive director.

“Children are growing up surrounded by unhealthy food, with those in the most deprived communities paying the highest price. We cannot keep expecting families to make healthier choices when the food environment is stacked against them.”

Urgent action needed

 According to government data, more than one in five children in Year 6 (ages 10–11) are living with obesity, and the number is rising to nearly one in three in the most deprived communities.

Nesta, which also signed the letter, found in an independent analysis that the proposed policy would have significant health and economic benefits. The innovation agency for social good encourages food businesses to roll out healthier products.

“Food businesses need clear, consistent rules that encourage them to improve what they sell. Voluntary action alone simply is not enough,” says Jenner.

Furthermore, the letter outlines growing support for action from investors, who have also noted the economic impact of poor diet on health and the importance of increasing transparency in food sales.

“Every month of delay is a missed opportunity to improve children’s health and prevent avoidable illness,” says Jenner. “Ministers must now publish the consultation and set a firm timetable for action before this Parliament runs out of time.”

UK food environment 

At the start of this year, the UK government redrafted its nutrient profiling model — switching the focus from total sugars to free sugars — as food manufacturers braced for a shift in how “healthy” products are defined. 

In July, a committee of UK Members of Parliament urged the government to prioritize public health over the food industry’s interests, as obesity costs the country an estimated £74.3 billion (US$98.5 billion) annually. The MPs recommended mandatory supermarket health reporting, stricter advertising and promotion rules, and compulsory front-of-pack nutrition labeling. 

Separately, a recent analysis found that the UK’s high in fat, salt, and sugar and traffic-light systems flag only about half of ultra-processed foods as unhealthy compared with more than 90% under Eatwell-based models. Researchers are calling for a single, unified system for determining the healthiness of foods. 

Last month, The Food Foundation found that 750,000 pregnant women and young children are missing out on the UK’s Healthy Start scheme. Retailers, public figures, and more than 100 organizations called for extending eligibility to all Universal Credit households and all children under five.