Grocery giant Sainsbury’s boss Roberts backs government’s new health plan

The government’s new plan was briefed over the weekend, alongside requirements for food businesses to make it easier for customers to buy healthy food to help tackle obesity rates in England.

Ministers over the weekend said it would be left to food retailers to decide how they would go about doing that.

Speaking on the day that Sainsbury’s unveiled boosted sales in its first quarter and hit its highest grocery market share in a decade, Roberts outlined how he saw his business, and the wider grocery sector, helping the government achieve its new health goals.

“Everyone has to play their part in making sure we help drive towards better health outcomes. Supermarkets play an important role – about two-thirds of total consumption comes from supermarkets. But there are other parts of the food sector,” he said.

“The NHS roadmap will bring the introduction of targets for reporting. And these will affect everyone from retailers through to manufacturers and suppliers and that’s an important principle. Once we’re reporting at industry level, we’ll be targeting at industry level.

“That’s going to drive action in terms of action on reformulation. It’s going to drive action in terms of how we think about reaching customers with healthier choices. It’s going to give us pause to think about how we make sure those choices are available in our stores and it’s also going to encourage, I think, the whole industry to raise the bar and I welcome that.

“I think it’s the right thing to do and I think we have a responsibility to do it”.

The government is set to publish it’s new 10-year plan for the NHS next week. Health secretary Wes Streeting said the new strategy was “radically different” from those of previous government’s “nanny stated approach of dictating to people the prices, the marketing” – referring to the previous government’s HFSS scheme – and said he would instead be “working with supermarkets” to encourage healthier eating.

British Retail Consortium director of food and sustainability Andrew Opie said the news is “really positive” but said “all food businesses” must work together to drive down obesity.

“Engaging all food businesses makes a difference,” Opie told the BBC.

“It can’t just be about supermarkets – we consume about a quarter of our calories outside the home, so unless we get all supermarkets, food retailers, and restaurants on board, we won’t move the dial on obesity.”