London, UK - The government’s recently announced healthy food standard policy could, in calorie terms, remove the equivalent of half a billion Christmas dinners from diets in England each year, according to innovation charity Nesta - without needing willpower or an optimistic New Year’s resolution.

The healthy food standard was announced in the UK government’s 10-year plan for health, as part of a mission to reduce obesity in the UK. It will set health targets and require supermarkets to improve the average healthiness of the products they sell, helping shoppers shift to healthier diets all year round.

Nesta estimates that when the policy is fully implemented it could remove around 80kcal diets each day - on average for individuals living with excess weight or obesity - equivalent to one small roast potato or one pig in blanket. While that sounds like small potatoes, the impact is significant at a national level because the policy focuses on the whole population and around 80% of our daily calorie intake comes from supermarkets.

Evidence shows that focusing on small, strategic changes to the pressures on people to buy and consume more unhealthy food is much more likely to be effective at the sort of scale the UK needs to reduce its obesity rates than requiring individuals to change their diets or exercise more.

Nesta estimates that over time, health targets for supermarkets have the potential to reduce obesity by around a fifth, helping three million people move to a healthier weight.

Nesta is calling on the UK government to implement the healthy food standard for the supermarket sector as swiftly as possible, with a mandatory health target for businesses to meet.

Lauren Bowes Byatt, deputy director at Nesta said:

“As a proud northerner, I know a crispy but fluffy cooked roast potato is integral to a perfect Christmas dinner.

“The great thing about the Healthy Food Standard is that it doesn’t get in the way of the joy of food, which is one of the best bits of this time of year. By focusing on the place where most of us get our food, and making what we buy just a little bit healthier across the whole year, the UK can make a significant impact on obesity without relying on willpower or first-of January resolutions.

“When it comes to tackling obesity, the evidence shows that relying on individual behaviour change does not work. Over time, small changes can make a significant difference to our health: removing the equivalent of one small roast potato per day from each of our diets could translate to three million more people moving to a healthier weight.”

Notes to editors:

• For more information on the analysis or to speak to one of the experts involved, please contact Kieran Lowe, Media Manager, on 020 7438 2576 or [email protected]. Spokespeople are available for broadcast interviews.

How does the policy work

It will work by incentivising supermarkets to make lots of small changes across their product portfolio, such as tweaking ready meal recipes to contain a bit less fat, adjusting the portion sizes of cakes, and putting slightly healthier cereals on offer or in the most prominent positions. The target will incentivise supermarkets to consider health alongside other factors like profit in their business models for the first time. Retailers will be free to decide how to hit the target in a way that works for their business model.

Methodology:

We calculated the 500million figure by multiplying the number of adults in England (~46,400,000) by the average calorie deficit per adult that health targets for supermarkets is estimated to achieve (50kcal per person per day as estimated by Nesta, 78 kcal for those living with excess weight).

We then divided this number (~2,320,000,000) by the number of calories in a large roast dinner, as an illustration of a Christmas dinner (~1600) to reach an estimate of the policy having the potential to remove the equivalent of ~1,450,000 Christmas dinners from the diets of adults in England per day. This was then multiplied by 365 to get 529,250,000 each year.

About Nesta

We are Nesta. The UK’s innovation agency for social good. We design, test and scale solutions to society’s biggest problems. Our three missions are to give every child a fair start, help people live healthy lives and create a sustainable future where the economy works for both people and the planet.

For over 20 years, we have worked to support, encourage and inspire innovation.

We work in three roles: as an innovation partner working with frontline organisations to design and test new solutions, as a venture builder supporting new and early-stage businesses and as a system shaper creating the conditions for innovation. Harnessing the rigour of science and the creativity of design, we work relentlessly to change millions of lives for the better.

Find out more at nesta.org.uk.