UK government to announce supermarkets will police what is in your shopping trolley and limit purchases of “unhealthy” food

The “healthy food standard” initiative, announced by UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting, involves setting mandatory health targets for retailers, who will have the flexibility to meet these goals through methods such as recipe adjustments, price promotions on healthier items or store layout redesigns. Supermarkets that fail to meet these targets could face financial penalties.

Major UK supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury’s have welcomed the government’s announcement, indicating a willingness to collaborate on implementing it.

But some critics and retail figures have expressed concerns, labelling the plan as “nanny statism” and warning of potential price increases and reduced snack options. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, criticised the approach, suggesting that Labour’s plan places the nanny state in every supermarket trolley.

Streeting emphasised that the plan is a “world-first approach” and not “nanny statism,” highlighting the collaborative effort with supermarkets rather than heavy regulation.

“Instead of traditional nanny statism, where we regulate more heavily on price or marketing on what’s sold, we’re taking a world-first approach, which is working with supermarkets using data they already collect about the nutritional value of their shopping baskets and shopping trolleys, the average shop,” Streeting told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

However, Streeting’s “working with supermarkets” includes fines. “Shops failing to meet the mandatory targets could face fines, which retail sources warned could see prices rise,” The Telegraph reported. “Senior retail figures said they had been blindsided by the ‘draconian’ plans, which they said would add to a growing glut of red tape on business." ...<<<Read More>>>...