Supermarkets should commit to a structural shift in pricing to make healthy food cheaper than HFSS equivalents, according to a landmark new report to be released by the influential British Nutrition Foundation later this week.
The BNF report, which is being submitted to the government and launched at an industry conference on Thursday, argues that the promotion restrictions which came into force in 2022 have failed to shift diets in the face of the obesity epidemic.
It claims HFSS promotions still dominate the retail landscape despite the clampdown, and that promotions on healthier food have been patchwork and shown to lead to “short-lived effects” rather than long-term shifts in consumption.
The report claims the industry needs to undergo a sustained commitment to everyday low pricing of healthy staples, such as making wholegrain bread, rice and pasta cheaper than non-wholegrain options.
It claims that if retailers move en masse to make healthier products cheaper, the shift will be such that it can move the debate on from the impact of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
Tackling the obesity crisis
The BNF report claims to be the first major UK report to set out a blueprint for how retailers and other businesses can tackle the obesity crisis.
It focuses on research including Leeds University analysis of the ban on HFSS promotions, which last year found that despite the ban leading to two million fewer junk food items being sold every day, it had only resulted in a 0.63% reduction in HFSS sales.
This week’s report finds that price is “the strongest and most consistent lever” for driving healthier sales, with the evidence suggesting everyday low pricing is likely to be far more effective than short‑term promotions.
Whereas it found promotions on fruit and vegetables typically delivered a 10%-15% uplift in sales, but the effects often disappeared as soon as the promotion ended.
Trials led by the IGD showed sustained price reductions had driven increases of over 50% in one trial and close to 80% in another.
The report also recommends a raft of other measures to tackle obesity, including the widespread uptake of top-up vouchers alongside the government’s Healthy Start Scheme, with retailer trails showing that such interventions increase fruit and veg purchases by 7% and reduce discretionary items by 4%, with the strongest uptake in the most deprived areas.
However, BNF CEO Elaine Hindal said supermarkets and other food retailers prioritising a shift in the price of healthy food was “crucial” against a backdrop where one-third of children are overweight or obese by the time they reach year 6 of primary school, alongside a whopping 64% of adults.
“Whilst this report contains a whole raft of ideas that industry and government can use to tackle obesity, an industry-wide shift to to lower the everyday price of healthier food is the main recommendation,” said Hindal.
“This isn’t about calling for a huge investment in price cuts from government on industry because these products are naturally cheaper, things like beans and pulses for example. It’s thinking about not necessarily lowering the prices on staples, but switching those prices into healthier options.
“Having price parity on things like wholegrain is one thing that retailers can do. If you buy brown rice and brown pasta it’s more expensive – now that just doesn’t make sense.”
The ultra-processed debate
Recently health debates have focused heavily on the risks posed from UPFs, but the report argues that action cannot wait for scientists to agree on UPFs.
“There is a large body of observational evidence linking diets high in UPFs with a range of poor health outcomes,” it concluded. “But questions remain about the mechanism by which these foods cause ill health. As the debate continues, action to improve diets should not wait for further research – the impact of poor diets on health is clear and must be addressed.
“We talk a lot about how we don’t know the mechanisms by which UPFs are bad for health,” added Hindal. “But if you talk to people like Henry Dimbleby he would say we do know the mechanisms, and one of the main ones is that they displace healthier foods. And we would fully agree with that.
“What this report focuses on is that displacement. If I’m buying a load of unhealthy crisps, snacks and biscuits and they are a big part of my diet, then we know that is unhealthy. This report is about how we tip the balance back towards healthy.”
Whilst short-term promotions were seen as less effective on shifting diets, the report also calls for retailers to increase the prominence and availability of healthier options, both in store and online, including in promotions.
“A really key thing is that unhealthy foods are much more likely to be bought on promotion,” said Hindal. “We know people stock up and consume more unhealthy products when they are reduced.
“We know from the Leeds study that after the promotions ban came into force the sort of products that went into that space were alcohol and baked goods.
“What didn’t go into that space was healthier options, and that was a missed opportunity.
“We would like retailers to use that promotion lever much more.”
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