The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) is urging supermarkets to make everyday staples, such as wholegrain bread, cheaper than their non-wholegrain equivalents in an effort to improve the nation’s health.
The calls came as part of a landmark report titled ‘Beyond Ultra-Processed Foods: A Review of Evidence-Based Interventions for the UK Food Environment’ which outlines ‘practical, evidence-based changes’ that retailers, manufacturers, and out of home operators could implement to drive improvements in diet quality at scale.
This, as the report’s title suggests, includes moving beyond the ongoing debate around ultra-processed foods (particularly when there is no universally agreed upon definition for it) and instead explore what the food & drink industry can do now to support the UK population’s health.
It emphasises that interventions targeting price, availability, positioning and portion size consistently outperform information-only approaches.
One of the recommendations is for supermarkets to commit to a structural shift in pricing to make healthier food cheaper particularly when compared to high fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) equivalents.
It claims that pricing remains the ‘most powerful lever’ with sustained lower pricing of healthy staples, such as making wholegrain bread cheaper than white, is more effective for habit formation than short-term discounts.
BNF highlighted that price is consistently cited as the most significant barrier to healthy eating with around 29% of food purchased for at-home consumption bought on promotion, with HFSS products disproportionately featured. It pointed to evidence which shows that price promotions on less healthy items drive higher volumes and increase obesity risk, while promotions on healthier items have smaller, short-lived effects.
“Ultra-processed foods, often high in fat, salt and sugar, displace healthier, nutrient-dense choices. This underscores the urgent need for coordinated action to drive a shift towards healthier dietary behaviours,” said Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the British Nutrition Foundation.
“There is already evidence for interventions that can shift dietary patterns, through pricing, promotions, reformulation, portion size and availability.
“Organisations across the food system have a critical role to play in shaping healthier food environments, and our focus, together, must now be on scaling what works,” Hindal added.
However, the calls come as manufacturers and retailers face ongoing pressure to protect margins amid rising costs. This is particularly difficult in the bread market with stalwarts Allied Bakeries and Hovis looking to merge in a bid to create a profitable bread business. An investigation by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) found that the Kingsmill manufacturer would close if the deal doesn’t go ahead.
Manufacturing change
When it came to recommendations for manufacturers, BNF said reformulation continues to offer population-level impact, particularly where it does not rely on consumer behaviour change.
As well as nutrient reduction, the report urged for increasing focus on positive nutrition (such as the addition of fibre, pulses, fruits and vegetables) alongside nutrient reduction.
This is a trend which is already growing in the baking industry, with fibre and protein the macronutrients of focus for operators of late.
Looking at the out of home sector, BNF felt menu design and portion size represent underutilised opportunities to influence purchasing. It claims that calorie labelling alone has ‘limited impact’ but can have stronger outcomes when combined with structural changes. Portion size in particular can help deliver measurable calorie reductions, BNF noted, but suggested implementing reductions gradually to help mitigate consumer acceptance.
The charity also pointed to opportunity on digital platforms – a growing market for food & drink – marking it as a ‘critical channel for intervention’. Positioning, defaults, and swap prompts have been shown to significantly influence order composition, it added.
“The evidence shows that food environments can shape behaviour, and often in automatic ways. This means structural interventions can deliver change without relying on individual motivation,” added Dr Stacey Lockyer, senior nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation.
“Pricing, placement, reformulation and healthier defaults are among the most effective tools available to industry, particularly when used in combination. Though the specific interventions that will be most appropriate for any business to implement will depend on nature of their offering and their customer base.”
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