Tesco has joined forces with a flurry of suppliers and retailers to ask the government to take ‘meaningful’ action to reduce childhood obesity.
The news comes weeks after the government faced criticism for delaying its plans to ban ads for foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) from being shown ahead of the 9pm watershed.
According to The Grocer, Tesco and its joint signatories are calling for pre-watershed HFSS ads to be limited, mandatory labelling for healthier foods to be introduced in-store, and reformative ‘achievable’ goals to be set clearly by the government.
The collaborative call for action comes from a joint statement from the Bite Back 2030 Food Systems Accelerator programme.
Chartwells, Costa Coffee, Danone, Deliveroo, Innocent, Jamie Oliver Ltd, KFC and Tesco, all signed a statement last month, days before prime minister Rishi Sunak decided to delay plans to ban pre-watershed HFSS ads.
The child health movement Bite Back 2030 branded the backtrack a “bitter blow” for young people who were “growing up in a world flooded with fast food”.
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“To truly transform the food system into one that is healthier for everyone, we know our industry needs to go further,” the retailers said in a statement. “To do that, we need a level playing field where all businesses are working to the same goals, supported by policies that incentivise changes that will improve health while remaining fair for consumers and businesses.
“The government should involve businesses, health stakeholders and the young people who are affected most by the current food system to develop and implement evidence-based policies.
“Our businesses are united by a joint ambition to overcome these challenges and play our role in positively influencing the health of young people.
“We have met with Bite Back’s youth board members and are now setting a range of change goals in key aspects of our businesses to drive improvements in the health and wellbeing of young people. We are committed to implementing these changes throughout 2023 and beyond, evaluating them, and rolling out successful initiatives across our businesses wherever possible.”
