Tesco told suppliers this week that it plans to be more open with them and advised them to listen to consumers.

Commercial and trading director Richard Brasher said health was now key to Tesco. This was where front-of-pack labelling was critical, whether it was ­Tesco's favoured GDA approach or traffic lights, he said. Both were ­impacting customers' approach to health.

Although Tesco had been reformulating hundreds of products, there was still far more to do, he said.

Listening to customers was vital for all businesses, said Brasher. But he warned not to exaggerate the needs of the vocal minority or believe snappy headlines.

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