The organisations are asking for reporting to include the split between plant and animal protein, fruit and veg sales and climate emissions. This is alongside recognition that essential animal welfare, nature and further health metrics should follow as soon as possible.
There is no reason this can't be implemented quickly as many organisations are already reporting these numbers. They will help provide the foundation for the government’s 10 Year Plan for the NHS and food strategy which is ‘good for both our health, and for the planet’. We know that investing in producing and consuming more fruit, veg and healthy foods is good for security, growth and health - and individual businesses reporting on these will help government move ahead on their plans.
A mandated – rather than voluntary – approach to public reporting is critical in order to ensure an industry wide approach to reporting that enables a true level playing field and to ensure standardisation of metrics and the reporting process. Including and beyond reporting there is a clear case for mandatory action shifting the dial when it comes to transformation in food.
Our named organisations, including 5 alliances representing over 200 organisations, stand ready to support the government and the sector in this move. We support the government’s commitment to implementing mandatory reporting as soon as possible with retailers and manufacturers over a certain size. We urge the quick expansion into food service (out of home) too.
Our collective organisations stand ready to support the government and the sector in a speedy process so the work of transforming our food system for the better can gather pace.
Read the full mandatory reporting paper here.
Full list of supporting organisations at the bottom of the page.
Quotes from supporting organisations below:
“Every recommendation we make is currently implemented by leading businesses. These measures are being used by organisations serious about change and accountability. Leveling the playing field on reporting as soon as possible means that targets and action can follow to ensure a healthy food environment and planet which our children deserve.” - Sarah Wakefield, Executive Director, Eating Better.
“The government has rightly recognised that our food system makes it hard for people to eat well. To be effective, the parameters for action must be set by health experts - not designed by the food industry, which has a track record of delay and dilution. Once those health-led targets are in place, big food businesses should be given the flexibility to meet them in ways that are meaningful and measurable. Responsible retailers, restaurants, takeaways and cafes should have no problem focusing on selling products that help people live well.” - Kat Jenner, Director, Obesity Health Alliance
“Since 2019, Healthy Markets Initiative investors - representing over $5 trillion in AUM - have called on food companies to be transparent about the healthiness of their sales and to set targets for selling healthier products. While some leaders have already begun doing this voluntarily, this policy, if properly implemented, will help level the playing field for all companies and reassure investors that they are actively addressing the risks of over-reliance on unhealthy sales - risks that undermine both individual businesses and the wider economy by driving poor diets and worsening population health." - Garance Boullenger, Lead, Healthy Markets Initiative, ShareAction
"Successive governments have given large food businesses a huge amount of power over our health, nature, and our farmers. We need to be able to reward businesses that are doing the right thing, and hold to account those that aren’t. Reporting basic information publicly is a very easy first step and one which responsible businesses have been calling for for years." - Fran Bernhardt, Commercial Determinants Coordinator, Sustain
“A vegetable (and other types of food) farmed and processed with synthetic agrochemicals may have the same calorie profile as one grown under agroecological principles, but would have vastly different impacts on climate change, biosphere integrity, biogeochemical flows, land-system, freshwater, and chemical pollution (novel entities) - planetary boundaries that have direct implications on food security and public health. While mandatory reporting on healthy food sales is a critical first step, it must rapidly evolve to include key socioecological criteria to drive the much-needed transformational changes and innovations across supply chains.” - Catherine Chong, ESG Adviser and Engagement Lead, CLEAR Consortium
“Mandatory, transparent and standardised reporting across the food industry is a foundational step toward creating healthier food environments and reducing obesity. This is about fairness, accountability, and the data needed to enable real change. We urge the government to move quickly and decisively.” - Professor Nicola Heslehurst, President, The Association for the Study of Obesity
“We know there is the appetite for people to eat in a way that is better for their own health and for the health of the planet but there are so many barriers preventing them from doing this. By collectively coming together we have the ability to empower and support people to make more sustainable food choices and create long-term behavioural change. The introduction of mandatory, standardised and consistent reporting is a vital, and hugely important step in helping us improve the future health of both people and planet.” - Sophie Tebbetts, CEO , FoodCycle
“We welcome the government’s recognition that supermarkets have a powerful role in shaping the nation’s health. This is a unique opportunity to get legislation right from the start – to create a bold, ambitious policy that can have real, lasting impact on population health.
"Mandatory reporting on salt and sugar is a crucial part of that. These ingredients are major contributors to non-communicable diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes – all of which are largely preventable. Voluntary efforts have consistently failed to deliver the scale of change needed.
"By introducing robust, enforceable targets for salt and sugar reduction – and making reporting mandatory – we can begin to shift the burden away from individuals and onto a wider food system that prioritises health. We must take a holistic view of the nutritional quality of the food being sold to us. This is a moment for strong, evidence-based leadership – not half-measures – if we are serious about protecting future generations from diet-related illness." - Sonia Pombo, Head of Impact & Research at Action on Salt
