Five UK manufacturers will report healthy food sales

Five major food and drink manufacturers have written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, offering to publish sales data on healthier products before any legal requirement takes effect. The companies said their voluntary reporting could help develop a system covering the wider food industry.

The proposed disclosures would use the current Nutrient Profiling Model, which underpins Britain’s restrictions on foods high in fat, sugar and salt. The manufacturers said adopting that model would allow reporting to begin more quickly because it is already integrated into company systems. They said using the newer model would require additional measurements and could delay the process.

The initiative is intended to support a possible mandatory framework for large food and drink businesses. The companies said consistent sales information could provide evidence for future policymaking and show how purchasing patterns change. They also said early participants would share their experience of handling reporting, including difficulties involving mergers, acquisitions and separating UK data from global reporting commitments.

The Food and Drink Federation said its members’ products contain 19% less sugar, 18% less salt and 17% fewer calories than five years ago. The federation said this followed reductions in fat, salt and sugar, alongside increases in fruit, vegetables and fibre, that had taken place since the early 2000s.

The letter also referred to restrictions on the promotion and advertising of products classified as less healthy. Research by the University of Leeds found that sales of such foods fell by 2m a day between 2021 and 2023. The letter said the evidence on the regulations remained at an early stage.

Karen Betts, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, said reporting would provide transparency and help the government assess the effect of health policies. Richard Hall, Danone North Europe’s vice-president and general secretary, said greater measurement could show which measures were working and where barriers remained. Nick Brown, Premier Foods’ director of environment, social and governance, said disclosure could demonstrate progress in reformulating products, developing healthier items and marketing them responsibly.