Revolutionary health plans will trigger anxiety for supermarkets

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This week, the government published a 168-page document outlining ambitious plans for a new NHS. One of three areas of focus, the move from sickness to prevention, will mean the food and drink sector has a fundamental part to play in helping to drive the changes.

There was nothing surprising in the 10-year plan: a series of leaks over the last week had already indicated what the grocery sector will be required to do.

One leak – that alcohol advertising would face a set of similar restrictions to the junk food sector – was met with such derision from the drinks industry that, in a spectacular u-turn, the proposals were pulled. As a result, the only alcohol-based change in the announcement was the (eminently sensible) introduction of health warning messages on cans and bottles.

Other proposals have been received with more grace. The call for supermarkets and other large food businesses to be held legally responsible for what shoppers buy is nothing short of revolutionary. While mandatory reporting on the healthiness of food sold has been broadly welcomed, the news that improvement targets would be set, with fines issued for businesses that fail to meet them, came as more of a shock.

Government and supermarkets clash

Both Asda and M&S have been vocal in their opposition to the government’s plans, with criticisms centred on the speed at which the proposals have been pushed through, as well as higher prices due to the additional “regulatory burden”.

The devil will be in the detail. Although for retailers who have a long way to go – and there are quite a few of those – the wait for more information will be particularly anxiety-inducing.

But things do need to change. The UK has the third-biggest obesity rate in Europe, so who is responsible if not supermarkets and food businesses? Of course, there’s also the likelihood that the measures will be rowed back, reduced or otherwise watered down. It’s happened with HFSS restrictions, and the fine print of these proposals is likely to be equally tricky to pin down.

Labour has described the proposals as part of a “moonshot” plan to cut obesity. Hopefully, by aiming for the moon, the new plan should at least be able to hit a star.