When I last wrote for the New Statesman, the new government had just taken office, and the UK was in the grip of a growing health crisis. Increased prevalence of obesity and malnutrition wasn’t new, but bold and systemic change was urgently needed. We were promised a prevention-first NHS and decisive action on obesity. One year on, what have they delivered?
The simple answer is: not enough. The UK remains embroiled in a health crisis fuelled by poor diet and limited understanding of nutrition. But some inroads have been made. We recently saw the launch of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and the government has signalled its intent for the long-awaited National Food Strategy through its Good Food Cycle framework.
We are on the cusp of change, but with government floating its latest proposals before summer – without timelines or consultation – clearer direction is still needed.
A shifting landscape
As a health-focused company, and leading supplier of medical nutrition to the NHS, Danone has long championed the role of nutrition within preventative healthcare, so people avoid illness, recover faster and stay healthy for longer. It was welcome news that the NHS 10 Year Health Plan recognised the pivotal role that a good diet plays in relieving pressure on the NHS.
Last year, I called for the government to champion the production, sale and consumption of healthier food, and agree on what constitutes “healthy”.
A promising fulfilment of this ask is the government’s new Healthy Food Standard, a policy designed to ensure big businesses promote healthier food. Large food and drink businesses, retailers, manufacturers and out-of-home providers (for example, takeaways and meal delivery services) will have to report on their sales of healthy food and drink based on levels of fat, sugar and salt.
The link between poor diet and negative health outcomes is well established; reducing consumption of foods that are high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) is necessary. Mandatory reporting matters because it drives accountability, creates a level playing field and rewards companies already doing the right thing. It also provides government and civil society with reliable data to inform policy and track progress, which has been, until now, sorely lacking.
At Danone UK & Ireland, we already report on the healthiness of our food sales and set firm health commitments in 2023 to never produce a product for children which is HFSS and that at least 90 per cent of our product portfolio by sales volume would not be HFSS. Today, we’ve exceeded that target. More than 90 per cent of our portfolio is non-HFSS, down to incremental innovation and consistent investment in reformulation.
Consistent policy is crucial for success
Currently, HFSS legislation is underpinned by the 2004/5 Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), a system that measures the healthiness of a product based on its ingredients. Retailers and manufacturers spend considerable time, resource and investment adapting to this model, and progress has been made.
Now, the government is considering moving to a new version – a model that has been called out by experts, including Professor Morris and Dr Jenneson at the University of Leeds, as too theoretical and impractical for industry. Since current HFSS legislation is not even fully implemented, a change in model would move the goalposts significantly and risk compromising the investment and reformulation already made.
Industry needs a clear and consistent policy framework. We recognise that models like this must evolve as science progresses and we’re open to working with government on what a revised, practical approach could look like. But the current model is working and consumer behaviour changes – as Nesta notes – take time. A consistent framework is absolutely key to maintaining momentum. If a company like ours, with health at its core, is concerned about the feasibility of a new model, government should be too.
Prevention must drive policy
If we want to reduce diet-related disease and relieve pressure on the NHS, consistent policies are essential, and healthy and accessible food needs to be part of everyday life. Mandatory reporting is tangible progress, but it must be backed by a National Food Strategy with prevention at the core.
Food and drink companies with a genuine interest in nutrition, like ours, should be treated as partners. Industry has the scale, innovation and expertise to deliver practical and lasting solutions, but only if government provides stable, long-term parameters.
Although the government has set out a broad ambition for a generational shift in how we relate to food through its Good Food Cycle framework, ambition needs structure, and the framework is too vague. With nearly 700 policies to tackle obesity proposed over the last 30 years, to little success, the Good Food Cycle has an opportunity to deliver where others have not. But only if it has clear timelines and accountability. To succeed, government must work alongside industry and, for example, appoint a named individual – such as a minister for healthy and sustainable diets – to ensure policies are not just announced but implemented, tracked, enforced and improved.
Keeping up momentum
As we await further detail, we can’t lose sight of the immediate interventions needed to tackle diet-related health issues. The health repercussions of malnutrition and obesity both place increased pressure on the NHS and carry a high cost. Yet these repercussions are preventable if addressed urgently through a focus on better nutrition.
We need to see obesity and malnutrition rates reduce year-on-year, with access to malnutrition screenings expanded to support early intervention, such as medical nutrition that can aid recovery and reduce hospital stays. Again, it would be beneficial to see clear ministerial accountability to drive progress.
The anticipated NHS workforce plan would also benefit from a joined-up approach, considering how a focus on nutrition can help ease pressures on frontline teams. For example, additional dietitian and community-based care roles could enable earlier identification of diet-related issues, leading to improved health outcomes.
There’s no denying the government is focused on delivering a healthier nation. A start has been made, but if it wants to have an impact within this parliamentary term, it needs to hold steady and let progress do its job. Meaningful outcomes require patience; if we want to really shift the dial on health, the government needs to focus on implementing and enforcing policies that are already working.
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