Tesco calls for mandatory health reporting to tackle obesity crisis

Tesco boss Ken Murphy has called on the government to force the grocery sector to report on the health merits of its food and drink sales to fight the growing obesity crisis in the UK.

The supermarket chief executive has written to health secretary Wes Streeting, urging the government to introduce new legislation that forces food companies to report of the healthiness of their offer.

In a letter, seen by The Grocer, Murphy said: “There are more people living with obesity in the UK than ever before. Tesco, along with the food industry, has a critical part to play in supporting preventative health measures, through giving access to affordable, healthier, quality food.”

The supermarket executive drew upon Tesco’s partnerships with Diabetes UK, Cancer Research UK, and the British Heart Foundation, which he said showed that “collaboration can drive meaningful change”.

“But to truly support public health, we need consistent, transparent reporting across the industry,” he wrote.

“We urge the UK government to take this important step forward to make healthier food reporting mandatory.”

Murphy added: “Inconsistency in how food businesses report on the healthiness of food and drink sales, with some not reporting at all, is not only confusing for the consumer, but it makes it difficult t assess industry-wide progress.”

His calls come as proposals for a voluntary system of health reporting, put together by the last government, have sat in limbo for the past year.

Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons had previously agreed plans which would require reporting on the percentage of sales of HFSS foods, fruit and veg, as well as animal and plant protein. However, this was stopped short of being made mandatory for the sector.

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