Royal Society for Public Health joins dozens of organisation calling for government backing on healthy products

A collective of 35 health organisations and children’s advocacy groups have written to the UK’s recently appointed Chancellor, Rachel Reeves and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, urging them to focus on promoting healthier option food ranges, writes Neill Barston.
The combined organisations, including Sustain, the Food Foundation, the Obesity Health Alliance, British Heart Foundation, Bite Back, Diabetes UK and the Royal Society for Public Health have urged the incoming Labour government to place a greater focus on dietary requirements – after the previous Conservative administration’s pledge to place the issue on its agendas failed to materialise into policies.
Consequently, the findings from long-term studies by the now defunct Public Health England, failed in its drive to encourage sugar reduction with many product ranges, including confectionery. This led to many sector observers to note that the industry should be hit with the ‘sugar tax’ that was successfully applied to drinks, and resulted in a dramatic cut in sugar levels within many beverages.
As the collective noted, its latest letter, sent as part of the “Recipe for Change” campaign, coincides with new polling data highlighting the British public’s scepticism towards food companies’ commitment to health. Conducted by YouGov with nearly 5,000 British adults, the survey reveals that:
· 74% of adults believe that companies are not honest about the health impacts of their food, with only 17% of the public trusting them to be honest
· 61% of people are worried about sugar and saturated fat levels in their food, 50% about salt levels, and 72% about high levels of processing
· Only 13% believe food companies will reduce unhealthy ingredients in their food without government intervention
· 68% support an expansion of the sugary drinks tax to other unhealthy foods, if the money supported children’s food and health initiatives
As the group noted, the Autumn Budget, the government announced that it will commence uprating the Soft Drinks Industry Levy with inflation, it will review the current thresholds, and whether to end the exemption for pre-packaged milk-based drinks (or alternative plant-based drinks) containing added sugar.
While these measures are welcome, the coalition’s letter underscores the need for decisive government action which must include developing plans for the wider regulation of the food industry as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review and budget processes in 2025. By advancing financial incentives and regulatory measures, the UK can foster a food industry that better supports public health.
The new polling is in line with the recommendations of the independent National Food Strategy led by Henry Dimbleby, which suggests that an industry-wide sugar and salt reformulation tax could have the potential to raise up to £3 billion per year that could be reinvested into programmes designed to increase access to healthy food. Modelling for the Recipe for Change campaign suggests that the reduction of salt and sugar it would trigger could prevent up to 2 million cases of diet-related ill health (including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, respiratory disease and several types of cancer), and be worth up to £77.9 billion to the economy over 25 years.
These recommendations were echoed again recently by a new report from the Lords’ Select Committee Inquiry on Food, Diet and Obesity Recipe for Health, which exposed the shocking levels of ill health associated with a ‘broken food system’ dominated by ultra-processed products that are high in fat, salt and sugar, which cost billions in healthcare and lost productivity each year. The Lords’ report called on the government to address the lack of financial incentives that could align the food industry with delivering on its own health and economic growth mission.
Any new fiscal incentive for the food industry would build on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, which has succeeded in reducing overall sugar sold in soft drinks by 34% whilst raising over £1.8 billion since 2018, enabling the Government to invest in children’s health by expanding breakfast clubs, holiday activity and food programmes and primary sports and PE equipment.
Anna Taylor, Executive Director of the Food Foundation, a leading signatory to the letter said: “The damage the food industry is doing to children’s health is the biggest threat to our nation’s wellbeing and future productivity and this needs to be reined in – urgently. The government must now get bolder, creating real incentives to force the industry to align with public health goals, further and faster.”
John Maingay, Director of Policy and Influencing at the British Heart Foundation, added: “The Soft Drinks Industry Levy has shown us that effective and enforced measures like this work to incentivise manufacturers to make their products healthier. The Government should now build on its success by extending a similar levy to foods containing too much salt and sugar. This will help to address stubbornly high rates of obesity, overweight, and cardiovascular disease across the UK.”