Think Through Nutrition’s response to the “Recipe for Health” report
At Think Through Nutrition, we believe in an urgent need for comprehensive public health strategies that not only aim to reduce the intake of UPFs and HFSS foods but also address broader socio-economic determinants of diet.
Following their public enquiry on the impact of foods high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) and ultra-processed foods (UPFs), the Food, Diet and Obesity Committee has recently published the report "Recipe for Health: A Plan to Fix Our Broken Food System".
The report provides a comprehensive overview of the critical issues, namely rising obesity rates and diet-related diseases as a significant public health crisis, and actionable recommendations to overhaul the UK's current food environment, which heavily favours unhealthy, highly processed foods. This environment not only contributes to poor health outcomes but also imposes a heavy economic burden, estimated at 1–2% of the UK GDP annually in healthcare costs and lost productivity.
The report outlines several key areas where urgent reform is needed:
Making government strategies comprehensive
The report criticises decades of ineffective policies and voluntary regulations in tackling obesity. Key issues include incohesive strategies, inadequate coordination, a lack of monitoring of milestones and a failure to address the food system as a whole.
Key recommendations include the implementation of an overarching legislative framework with mandatory health targets governed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as an independent oversight of the food system. These changes will ensure cross-departmental accountability and clear leadership roles within government to enforce food policy.
At Think Through Nutrition, we believe in an urgent need for comprehensive public health strategies that not only aim to reduce the intake of UPFs and HFSS foods but also address broader socio-economic determinants of diet. Alongside cohesiveness, a continuous governance and monitoring of government health strategies is crucial for the successful implementation and adjustment of policies and recommendations. The independent oversight of the food system by the FSA would help enforce stricter guidelines, ensure that nutritional and health standards are prioritised across the food sector, and hold manufacturers to consistent standards.
Holding the food industry accountable
The report stresses the importance of holding large food businesses accountable by mandating transparency about the healthiness of their products, e.g. reporting the prevalence of foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) and ultra-processed food (UPF). This is thought to be achieved by shifting voluntary recommendations to mandatory regulations in food policies. Another recommendation is the removal of businesses heavily reliant on unhealthy products from policy discussions, aiming to reduce industry lobbying influences that have historically hindered effective food policies.
As a charity that works with marginalised and low socioeconomic status groups, we see first-hand how an individual's food choices are directly influenced by the food system they live in, mediated by food costs, time restraint, accessibility and hyper-palatability. The recommended approach rightly moves the focus from individual choice to structural changes that shape consumer options.
Making a healthy diet accessible
Recognising the potential health risks associated with UPFs, the report underscores the need to commit to further research into their impacts on diet-related health outcomes. This research can in turn inform the update of dietary guidelines to reflect the effects of food processing levels and support the implementation of actions to promote healthier, minimally processed food options.
Building on the model of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, the report also advocates for extending the tax increase to include other food categories high in sugar and salt. This would incentivise companies to reformulate products to be healthier and use the generated funds to subsidise nutritious food for low-income families, in turn ensuring a healthier food environment for all. Additionally, a national ban on HFSS (high fat, sugar, and salt) food advertising across all media is proposed to protect especially the young population from unhealthy food marketing. This measure is intended to shift cultural norms and foster healthier eating habits.
Next to subsidising healthy foods, the recommendations also extend to increase “Healthy Start” payments and expand free school meal eligibility to cover more low-income families.
Assessing the affordability of healthy food regularly and providing financial assistance where necessary, will not only ensure equitable access to healthy food but also lift the burden on emergency food aid services.
In our opinion, a mandatory salt and sugar tax increase builds on the successful Soft Drinks Industry Levy, and similar initiatives from other countries. Extending the levy pushes companies to rethink their production towards healthier recipes and ingredients. Furthermore, using the tax revenue to subsidise nutritious food for low-income families tackles both obesity and food insecurity, therefore aligning economic- and health goals.
Our work with both adolescents and adults has spotlighted the increased influence of social media on eating habits, food choices and beliefs about food. Banning the advertisement of HFSS foods may not only inhibit implicitly steered food choices and beliefs but also reduce the so-called “health-washing” of food products, which in turn decreases the confusion around a healthy diet.
Supporting health through nutrition from day 1
Recommendations are made to strengthen regulations around infant food composition and -marketing and the compliance with school food standards. Addressing nutrition from an early age is crucial, given that childhood obesity is a significant predictor of adult obesity.
In addition, the report showcases the importance of the maternal diet as a significant predictor for infant- and child health outcomes. This connection demands the design, implementation and monitoring of national goals for maternal and child nutrition.
At Think Through Nutrition, we believe that this proactive approach in supporting health through nutrition from day 1 is an essential step to empower our next generation to make healthy choices. Supporting auto-enrolment for programmes like Healthy Start and free school meals addresses immediate food insecurity while promoting long-term health equity, which could be instrumental in breaking the vicious cycle of poor health outcomes in marginalised groups.
Conclusions
The report’s recommendations clearly showcase that a paradigm shift towards structural changes in the food industry is essential. These changes aim to shift focus from individual choices to systemic modifications that shape healthier consumer options. The emphasis is on a multi-faceted approach involving government
oversight, industry accountability, and public health advocacy to make substantial and lasting improvements in the nation's diet and health outcomes. Aligning economic and health objectives in a balanced and equitable manner, this will ensure a healthier future for all.