Health NGO hostility and apathy among food to go outlets is in danger of scuppering the government's Responsibility Deal, undermining "costly" commitments by supermarkets to make products healthier, the health secretary has been warned.

The big chains told Andrew Lansley this week that his flagship strategy was in danger of being fatally undermined because plans to remove thousands of tonnes of salt from products and eliminate artificial transfats had failed to win approval from a raft of leading health bodies.

Almost a dozen NGOs snubbed a BRC invite to attend the meeting of the All-Party Retail Group, with David Scott, director of policy at Morrisons, warning that without their support the programme had "fallen flat". "Can the deal enjoy real credibility without them," Scott asked Lansley, and his fears were echoed by BRC director general Stephen Robertson, who said that while many leading retailers had embraced the Deal, landing them with huge costs, they had failed to get any credit from health groups, leaving many questioning why.

"It would be good to see NGOs recognising this success because it doesn't come without effort. It's extremely costly and it would be good to see a ripple of applause from the NGOs when you get something right," he said.

Bodies including Alcohol Concern, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Physicians have steadfastly refused to back the Deal, launched in March, claiming it does not go far enough to tackle alcohol misuse and obesity.

Many retailers, while welcoming the emphasis on self-regulation, are urging Lansley to consider imposing regulation on outlets that show no signs of responding voluntarily.

Andrew Opie, BRC director of food and sustainability, said: "This needs involvement across the whole retail sector. Up to a third of meals are eaten out of home and it's pointless retailers taking these measures if kids can just go to the local kebab shop."

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