The Government response to the House of Lords Committee on Food, Diet and Obesity report is disappointing, failing to commit to the changes urgently needed in our food system. The Recipe for Change campaign urges Government to take stronger action to reshape our unhealthy food. environment.

The Recipe for Change campaign is disappointed by the Government's response to the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee’s report, Recipe for Health: A Plan to Fix Our Broken Food System. While the Government acknowledges the need to reduce obesity rates in order to improve health outcomes, create a fairer society, and reduce early deaths from preventable diseases, it falls short on delivering meaningful action. The response reaffirms existing policies, such as advertising restrictions and the restrictions on energy drinks, but fails to embrace the bold, transformative steps required to reshape our food environment and tackle food-related ill health in a sustained and significant way.

On the Committee’s call for a salt and sugar reformulation tax, the Government admits that "industry needs to do more" but stops short of committing to action, instead saying it will consider the balance of voluntary and mandatory measures needed to bring about change. Businesses have been given time to reduce harmful ingredients in their food voluntarily, yet progress has been slow and inconsistent. The mandatory Soft Drinks Industry Levy has been far more effective at accelerating product reformulation with an overall sales-weighted average reduction of sugar of 46% from 2015 – 2020, while voluntary food reformulation programmes have seen an average sugar reduction of just 3.5% in the same period.

Upcoming evidence from the Recipe for Change campaign also shows substantial variations in sugar and salt content across snack foods, with many products missing the voluntary targets, highlighting the opportunity for further reformulation in these categories.

With voluntary reformulation targets set to expire in December 2025, the Government must act now to accelerate progress. The new cross-departmental Health Mission and Food Strategy offer a critical opportunity for HM Treasury to use financial incentives and penalties to drive faster change, building on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

While we welcome the Government’s pledge to ‘keep all taxes under review’, we need clearer, more decisive action to incentivise healthier food production and reduce the harmful levels of sugar and salt in our food.

The Government must not let this become another missed opportunity to fix our broken food system.

 

Kate Howard, Recipe for Change Campaign Coordinator, says:

We're disappointed the Government has failed to announce stronger action in response to the well-informed and practical recommendations laid out in the Lords’ report. This was a critical opportunity to show they were serious about improving the food we eat, preventing more ill health and holding the food industry to account.

Voluntary measures to reduce the unnecessarily high levels of sugar and salt in our food have not proven effective enough, yet today’s response lacks meaningful commitments to go further.

Where previous leaders have expressed regret not acting sooner to protect public health, this Government has a chance to do better. The upcoming Food Strategy must not be another missed chance – it needs to deliver bold change to ensure the food industry steps up and improves the food they sell us.

Katharine Jenner, Director of the Obesity Health Alliance says:

We are deeply disappointed by the government's response, which lacks the bold action needed to fix our broken food environment—despite the clear evidence and common-sense recommendations set out in the House of Lords report.

While pledges to restrict unhealthy advertising, ban energy drink sales to under-16s, and keeping levies under review are positive, these are not new measures. The report falls well short of the decisive regulatory action the Lords deemed essential to reshaping the food environment that has caused the rise in obesity.

By intending to rely on industry cooperation in the upcoming food strategy, the government is prioritising the voices of those who profit from unhealthy food over independent experts and those directly affected by an unhealthy food environment.

Time and again, voluntary schemes and industry-led initiatives have proven ineffective. Without urgent action, the government risks missing a vital opportunity to curb obesity and improve the UK’s health.

Dr Giota Mitrou, World Cancer Research Fund’s Executive Director of Research and Policy says: 

Obesity is a public health emergency, with England having one the highest rates of obesity among high-income nations. 

We were disappointed to see UK Government’s non-committal response to the findings of the report, which set out realistic and transformative recommendations to improve the nation’s diet. 

The Government’s lukewarm response, listing existing commitments, raises concerns about whether their upcoming National Food Strategy will, in the end, turn out half-baked. 

Around 40% of cancer cases could be avoidable. This is why it’s so vital for the Government to fulfil their manifesto pledge to put prevention at the heart of policies to keep people healthy and we look forward to rolling up our sleeves and working together to achieve this.

Jonathan Pauling, Chief Executive at Alexandra Rose Charity said:

 

The Government has acknowledged that reshaping the food environment is essential to support people live healthier lives. However, its response fails to accept or act on the House of Lord’s Food, Diet and Obesity Committee’s recommendations needed to make this a reality. Instead, many crucial issues including improving access and affordability to healthy food for families on low incomes, have been deferred to future strategies, health missions, and task forces, with no clear plan of action. Families struggling with food insecurity cannot afford to wait, they need action now. We urge the Government to act with the urgency this issue demands.

Read the full statements on the Government response from our partners below:

Sustain's statement

Obesity Health Alliance's statement