Supermarkets could face fines for failing healthy eating targets in obesity crackdown
Supermarkets told to play a bigger role in NHS fight against obesity
- New government plans propose fining supermarkets and takeaways that fail to sell healthier food, as part of a 10-year NHS strategy to tackle the obesity epidemic.
- Under the policy, large businesses will be required to report their sales of healthy food, with targets set to increase these sales and financial penalties used as a last resort for non-compliance.
- Health secretary Wes Streeting warned that unless the rising costs and demand caused by obesity are curbed, the NHS risks becoming unsustainable.
- The initiative allows retailers flexibility to meet targets through methods like tweaking recipes, offering discounts on healthy items, or redesigning store layouts.
- The UK has the third highest adult obesity rate in Europe, costing the NHS £11.4 billion annually, though some critics, like Tory shadow paymaster general Richard Holden, dismiss the plans as “nanny state nonsense”.