Supermarkets face threat of fines in obesity crackdown

Supermarkets and takeaways could be fined if they do not sell healthier food, under new government plans to tackle the obesity epidemic.

- KATE DEVLIN

All large businesses will report their sales of healthy food under the policy, part of a 10-year plan for the NHS to be unveiled this week. Targets will then be set to increase the amount sold, with penalties used as a last resort for companies who refuse to work with ministers to reduce the crisis.

Initially developed by innovation agency Nesta, the policy introduces mandatory health targets for retailers while giving them flexibility in how to meet them, such as by tweaking recipes, running price promotions on healthier items, or redesigning store layouts.

Supermarkets will be required to report sales data and those that fail to hit targets could face financial penalties, Nesta suggested.

Health secretary Wes Streeting said cutting out just 50 calories a day could lift 340,000 children and two million adults out of obesity. He said that when it comes to obesity “unless we curb the rising tide of cost and demand, the NHS risks becoming unsustainable”, adding: “Through our new healthy food standard, we will make the healthy choice the easy choice, because prevention is better than cure.”