º£½ÇÊÓƵ supermarket chiefs have criticised aspects of the government's latest obesity reduction strategy, claiming it will increase costs without benefiting public health.
The government intends to introduce a new standard for products on supermarket shelves as part of its decade-long NHS plan, which is grappling with an obesity epidemic, as reported by .
Asda chair Allan Leighton has cautioned ministers to "consider the cumulative regulatory burden and costs supermarkets are already bearing".
"Engaging us collectively and genuinely to meet the challenge of rising obesity would harness that expertise to deliver tangible and lasting outcomes.
"We are supportive of prevention and our role in delivering it. We – the supermarkets – are part of the solution, not the problem," Leighton further stated.
Supermarkets will be mandated to disclose sales data, and those failing to meet the new standards could face financial sanctions.
The government has defended the proposal as essential to reduce the NHS's annual obesity-related costs, which stand at £11.4bn.
However, M&S chief Stuart Machin told the Telegraph that the proposals "will likely add cost with no discernible improvement in public health".
"The easy opt-out is to target supermarkets, when almost half the public use takeaways and fast food weekly. And it is just plain wrong they are ignoring alcohol, which is also calorie dense," Machin argued.
Conversely, other supermarkets have expressed support for the initiative, with Aldi CEO Giles Hurley "welcoming" the news.
"We will continue to report on our healthier food sales and look forward to working with the Government and industry to ensure customers always have access to healthy affordable food," stated Hurley.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy, an advocate for 'nudging' customers towards healthier choices via personalised marketing, emphasised that reporting sales data is "key to more evidence-led policy and better-targeted health interventions."
He added, "We look forward to working with [the government] on the detail of the Healthy Food Standard and its implementation by all relevant food businesses."
