The government is to launch a UK-wide consultation in March on plans for mandatory heath reporting across all major food companies – but any resulting legislation won’t come into force until at least 2029, it revealed today.
Ministers are working with the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the “world first” proposals. Separate plans for mandatory targets for the industry are to be delayed until the next Parliament.
In a joint industry presentation run by the DHSC and Defra, government officials today set out the timeframe for sweeping health policy changes under Wes Streeting’s 10-year NHS plan.
They also confirmed that in the new year the government will publish the long-delayed response into the 2018 review of the nutrient profiling model. It is expected to recommend that huge swathes of food categories should be reclassified as HFSS, under a move to bring restrictions on sugar up to speed with the latest scientific recommendations.
The DHSC announced it had begun a series of cross-industry workshops – involving retailers, manufacturers and the out of home sector – which would help finalise plans for a mandatory reporting consultation at the end of March.
The bodies being consulted will build on previous plans drawn up by the Food Data Transparency Partnership (FDTP), which had seen major food companies agree to publish voluntary data on the healthiness of their sales.
Healthy food standard
The Grocer revealed in February 2024 that the FDTP had drawn up plans including reporting on the percentage of sales made up of HFSS foods, fruit & veg, and protein types (animal and plant). The plans had the backing of supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, as well as suppliers including Nestlé, Mars and General Mills.
Natasha Burgon, director of diet, obesity and healthy behaviours at the OHID, confirmed the mandatory reporting plan was “almost like the second phase” of the FDTP work.
Burgon also stressed that the government was “very sympathetic” to industry demands that mandatory reporting be applied across all sectors to ensure a “level playing field”.
However, last month The Grocer revealed retail leaders had warned Streeting that providing the data for mandatory reporting and the associated targets would cost the industry “tens of millions” of pounds to start providing the data needed for his new healthy food standard.
And retail bosses have also reacted angrily to suggestions by influential policy group Nesta, which has helped advise Streeting on the plans, that it could launch with supermarkets and major retailers first and then later be applied to out-of-home companies like Greggs and Starbucks.
The other major announcement during the webinar saw the DHSC confirm the government’s response to the 2018 NPM review will be published in the new year. That will be followed by the launch of a consultation on Streeting’s plans to “modernise” the system.
Earlier today, The Grocer revealed the food industry was warning of a “disaster” for the industry if the new NPM comes into force as proposed by PHE’s original reviews.
The FDF claimed hundreds of products which have been reformulated to meet January’s incoming advertising restrictions would be forced off the shelves if the government pushed ahead with the “enormous” changes.
Cereals, fruit juices, yoghurts and smoothies all face being rebranded as HFSS, despite manufacturers having spent hundreds of millions making them healthier.
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