Members of UK Parliament urge government to confront food industry amid obesity epidemic
Key takeaways
- UK members of Parliament are urging the government to prioritize public health over food industry interests, as obesity costs the country an estimated £74.3 billion annually.
- The committee recommends mandatory supermarket health reporting, stricter advertising and promotion rules, and compulsory front-of-pack nutrition labeling by January 2028.
- Proposed measures also include expanding Healthy Start support, restricting fast food outlets near schools, and making healthier foods more affordable and accessible.
The Health and Social Care Committee, a part of the UK Parliament, calls for action to tackle the country’s decades-long obesity epidemic. The committee is urging a new and bold approach for a solution to a problem costing the country tens of billions of British pounds every year.
Members of the Parliament stress that the government must break the cycle of prioritizing the food and beverage industry’s commercial interest over children’s health. This problem has been seen “time after time,” as prioritizing public health keeps getting delayed due to impacts on food prices, jobs, or the economy
The committee says governments “have consistently chosen to put those interests ahead of health interests,” a pattern that it underscores cannot be continued
Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance, comments: “This report is a timely reminder that the evidence on obesity prevention has been clear for years. The committee’s recommendations are firmly grounded in public health evidence and reflect the bold, joined‑up action that the Obesity Health Alliance and others have long called for, to create a healthier food environment as part of the 10 Year Health Plan for England.”
She argues that the government already has many of these policies on the table, including mandatory health reporting and targets for large food businesses, stronger restrictions on the advertising and promotion of less healthy food, and an updated Nutrient Profiling Model
“Yet too often, measures designed to protect children’s health have been delayed or diluted after sustained pressure from industry.”
Jenner further argues that if serious about improving the nation’s health, reducing pressure on the National Health Service, and giving every child the best start in life, the root causes must be tackled by making healthier choices more affordable and accessible for everyone
“This is the moment for the government to break the ‘junk food cycle’ of inaction and deliver the healthier future families deserve.”
Attempts to tackle epidemic
The UK Parliament states that 64% of adults in England were obese or overweight in 2022. In 2024, it was 66% — 30% obese and 36% overweight
Obesity has an annual cost of £74.3 billion (US$99.5 billion), according to the Department of Health and Social Care
Obesity has an annual cost of £74.3 billion, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.Meanwhile, between August 2024 and July 2025, almost £680 million (US$910.6 million) was spent on advertising food and soft drinks through TV, radio, and outdoors.
“Products such as sweets, chocolates, and crisps accounted for 29% of that spend (£196 million; US$262.6 million), whereas fruit and vegetables were 3%,” the Committee stresses
The committee notes that previous attempts to tackle the obesity epidemic through food policy have failed. It urges the government to be more courageous when standing up to the food industry
Members of Parliament say recommendations must be set in place for better regulations on food advertising, promotions, and labeling. Additionally, increasing access to healthy food options for people must be a priority, they stress
Recommended actions
Proposals in the new report aim to “fix the food environment” that is currently pushing consumers to choose unhealthy options such as foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, as these are usually cheaper than healthy foods
For supermarkets, the committee suggests mandatory reporting and targets on the amount of healthy food they sell, backed up with penalties. Suggestions include placing healthy foods at aisle ends, entrances, and check-outs, while doing the opposite for unhealthy foods
For the reporting, it suggests making 10-year plans with targets on healthy foods being sold, which was promised in 2026 but has not yet been implemented. The committee suggests implementing this within a year for major supermarkets
“It should be accompanied by a strict enforcement regime overseen by the Food Standards Agency, with, for example, penalties on a sliding scale that could include fines. We would encourage the government to use such revenue to make healthy food cheaper,” it states
For nutritional labeling, it recommends that the government introduce mandatory front-of-pack labeling by January 2028
Increase access to healthy foods
The committee also suggests improving the Healthy Start cards for pregnant women and families with small children. These are pre-paid cards that can be used to buy healthy foods, including fruit and vegetables, milk, and vitamin supplements
The committee suggests improving the Healthy Start cards for pregnant women and families with small children.The amount will be increased by the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, for the first time since 2021, the committee notes
For improvements, it suggests reviewing this amount on a yearly basis and increasing the age for small children from three years old to when they start school at four to fill this gap. Additionally, it urges the government to launch a public awareness campaign and publish data on the scheme
It also suggests policies preventing fast food outlets from opening in school areas. In 2024, 28% of children aged 13–15 were obese or overweight
Welcoming the report
Dr. Kawther Hashem, senior lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at Queen Mary University of London and head of Research and Impact at Action on Salt & Sugar, comments on the report: “We are delighted to have contributed evidence to this inquiry, and it is encouraging to see several of our key recommendations reflected in the committee’s report.”
She says that for too long, the odds have been stacked against families, with foods high in fat, salt, and sugar often cheaper, more heavily promoted, and easier to access than healthier choices, contributing to obesity and other preventable diet-related diseases
The committee is therefore right to call on Ministers to stand up to vested commercial interests and put public health first. However, important opportunities have been missed, she notes
“The report does not go far enough on extending the successful Soft Drinks Industry levy model to key food categories high in fat, salt, and sugar, strengthening promotion restrictions across the whole market to apply to all unhealthy food and drink, or making commercial baby food standards mandatory.”
Hashem urges ministers to build on the strongest recommendations in this report, to close the remaining gaps and introduce “bold, evidence-based regulation” that creates a level playing field across the food industry and protects the health of children and families
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