We have previously reported on the House of Lords inquiry on links between HFSS, diet and obesity. 

The House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee has now issued its report which says that “obesity and its consequences constitute a public health emergency that represents a ticking time bomb for the nation’s health, wellbeing and finances. This emergency is primarily driven by over-consumption of unhealthy foods.” 

Considering this, it has made some recommendations to the government.  The key recommendation is that the government must as a matter of urgency adopt a new, comprehensive and integrated food strategy.

From a regulatory perspective, the Committee has recommended:

• The government should introduce a new overarching legislative framework for a healthier food system. This legislation should require that the government publish a new, comprehensive and integrated long-term food strategy, setting out targets for the food system and the government’s plans to introduce, implement and enforce policy interventions to achieve those targets.
• As part of this new legislative framework, the Food Standards Agency should be given oversight of the food system. This oversight role should be transparent and independent of industry.
• The Committee also suggests that the government makes a decisive shift away from voluntary measures to a system of mandatory regulation of the food industry.  It also needs to fundamentally reshape the incentives for the food industry through a coherent and integrated set of policy interventions to reduce the production and consumption of less healthy foods, and drive production and sales of healthier foods.  It has already legislated on HFSS foods but needs to go beyond this. It says the government should ban the advertising of less healthy food across all media by the end of this Parliament, following the planned 9pm watershed and ban on paid-for online advertising in October 2025.
• It should introduce a salt and sugar reformulation tax on food manufacturers, building on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. 
• The government must implement the 2018 Nutrient Profiling Model without further delay. Going forward, the NPM must also be regularly reviewed to ensure it reflects emerging scientific evidence and dietary guidelines, including any emerging research evidence on the potential harms of ultra-processed foods or their properties, and used to identify both healthier and less healthy foods for regulatory purposes.

The Prime Minister has reportedly indicated that he is open to more regulation to improve public health, so the Committee may be knocking on an open door.