Health is no longer a side note for the UK food and drink industry, it’s front and centre on every boardroom agenda. The events of 2025 made it impossible to ignore, from the government’s ambitious 10-year plan and the introduction of mandatory healthy sales reporting to the rapid adoption of GLP-1s and the reignition of the debate around ultra-processed foods.
As we look ahead, there’s no sign of this momentum slowing throughout 2026.
Reflecting on last year, we took a decisive step in launching our ‘Framework for Population Diet Change’. This framework pinpoints seven key levers, both internal and external, that organisations can use to build effective health and sustainability strategies. At IGD, we champion ‘good growth’, which delivers economic resilience, environmental sustainability and better health outcomes.
It’s not just about doing the right thing – it’s also a commercial imperative. The businesses that move early will be the ones best placed to seize the opportunities this shift presents.
Health policy remains complex
The health policy landscape, however, is becoming ever more complex. October 2025 saw the implementation of HFSS multibuy promotions restrictions, while advertising curbs kicked in this week. And there’s more to come: the Department of Health & Social Care is consulting on both tightening advertising rules by applying the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2018, and setting healthier food targets and reporting requirements.
The government’s aim is to have a healthy sales policy in place before this parliament ends. Businesses must therefore be ready to adapt, or risk being left behind.
One of the hottest topics right now is the meteoric rise of GLP-1s. At IGD’s Future of the Food System event in October, Chris Whitty rightly pointed out that GLP-1s are not a panacea for obesity, so we can expect further legislative focus on this challenge. Although the scale of adoption is staggering: statins took 18 years to reach the same uptake GLP-1s have achieved in just four. With 11% of UK adults open to trying weight-loss injections, we’re looking at a potential market of over six million people.
So far, most GLP-1s are bought privately, but with oral versions possibly arriving this year and own-label products expected by 2028, accessibility and therefore adoption will only accelerate. This poses significant challenges for the food industry, with total food spend down by around 5.5% among users, particularly for some categories likely to see an even larger reduction in spend and with knock-on effects across entire households.
Yet, where there are challenges, there are also opportunities. The changing landscape demands innovation to meet evolving consumer needs. That’s why IGD is launching a groundbreaking shopper study in 2026, decoding the impact of GLP-1s across all channels and categories. We aim to uncover what’s really driving customer behaviour, track shifts in nutritional consumption, and identify which organisations are getting ahead and why.
Health has made the leap from a peripheral concern to a central strategic challenge and opportunity for the UK food industry. As policy evolves, consumers change, and innovation accelerates, those businesses that engage early, collaborate widely and embed health into their commercial decisions will be best placed to thrive in 2026 and beyond.
Hannah Daley is IGD’s head of health and sustainable diets
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