A report from the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) has called for the food industry to deliver evidence-based changes across the UK food environment to support “healthier diets”.
The report, titled ‘Beyond Ultra-Processed Foods: A Review of Evidence-Based Interventions for the UK Food Environment‘, outlined interventions that BNF said could be implemented across retail, manufacturing and out-of-home settings to drive improvements in diet quality at scale.
In the report, BNF called for a “renewed focus” on improving the UK’s food environment, which it said moved beyond the debate around ultra-processed foods.
Elaine Hindal, chief executive of the BNF, stated: “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.
“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.”
Different sectors to take different approaches
For manufacturers, BNF said that reformulation offered population-level impact, particularly where it does not rely on consumer behaviour change. Evidence from BNF suggested that mandatory and fiscal levers drive faster progress than voluntary approaches, and suggested that manufactures should increase focus on positive nutrition such as fibre, pulses, fruit and vegetables alongside nutrient reduction.
Looking to how retailers could adapt, BNF found that pricing was the most powerful lever, with sustained affordability of healthier staples more effective than short-term promotions. It went on to say that early evidence showed HFSS placement restrictions were reducing sales of less healthy products, while multi-component strategies combining price, placement and in-store nudges “deliver the strongest results”.
The report detailed how interventions targeting price, availability, positioning and portion size “consistently outperformed” information-only approaches.
Dr Stacey Lockyer, senior nutrition scientist at the BNF, said: “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.
“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.
“These approaches are also inherently more equitable, helping to improve diets across population groups, including those most at risk.”
The Foundation has called for stronger alignment between commercial strategy and public health goals, with businesses encouraged to:
- Embed nutrition within governance and decision-making frameworks
- Accelerate reformulation and portion size strategies beyond current targets
- Improve accessibility and affordability of healthier options
- Support consistent and transparent front-of-pack labelling approaches
- Leverage digital platforms as a core tool for influencing purchasing behaviour
The report also highlighted the importance of measurement, transparency and evaluation to ensure interventions deliver “meaningful impact”.
