Almost three-quarters of UK consumers believe food companies are not honest about the impact their products have on health, a YouGov poll has shown.
Only 17% of those polled trust companies to be honest and only 13% believe food companies will make their food healthier without Government intervention.
The poll of nearly 5,000 UK adults was commissioned by Recipe for Change, a new campaign convened by NGOs and charities including The Food Foundation, The British Heart Foundation and The Royal Society for Public Health.
In response to the findings, the organisations, along with more than 30 peers, have urged the UK government to “go faster and further in accelerating financial incentives to create a healthier food industry”.
They pointed to another of the poll’s findings, which showed 68% of respondents backed an expansion of the UK’s sugary drinks tax to unhealthy foods.
Food Foundation executive director Anna Taylor and the leading signatory to the letter said: “The damage the food industry is doing to children’s health is the biggest threat to our nation’s wellbeing and future productivity and this needs to be reined in – urgently. The government must now get bolder, creating real incentives to force the industry to align with public health goals, further and faster.”
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By GlobalDataLast month, the UK government announced plans to increase the lower and higher ends of the country’s Soft Drinks Industry Levy.
The increases have been brought in “to maintain incentives for soft drinks manufacturers to reduce their sugar content”, the UK government said.
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy was introduced in 2018, with the then UK government saying the tax would encourage manufacturers to change recipes and make healthier products.
The Government said the tax will be uprated by the consumer price index measure of inflation, starting from 1 April every year to 2030.
In response to the YouGov poll and the letter to Government, UK trade body, a spokesperson for The Food and Drink Federation said: “Food and drink manufacturers take the issue of obesity and poor diets really seriously and we know we have a key role to play in addressing this. Companies have made significant progress to create healthier options for shoppers.
“As a result, our members’ products now contribute 25% less sugar, 24% fewer calories and 33% less salt to the British grocery market compared to in 2015 and have also delivered 190m additional servings of fibre to the population.”
The spokesperson added: “Imposing an arbitrary tax will increase food prices for consumers, having the greatest impact on those who can least afford it.”
