The Obesity Health Alliance applauds the government for committing to shift from ill health to prevention in its NHS 10 Year Plan. The NHS 10 Year Plan has launched what it calls ‘A moonshot to end the obesity epidemic’ and unveiled a series of measures on both treatment and prevention of obesity.
Publication: Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England
What’s in the plan?
The plan recommits to key manifesto promises, including:
- Restricting junk food advertising to children
- Limiting new hot food takeaway outlets
- Banning the sale of energy drinks to children
- Creating a Smokefree Generation
It also reiterates previous pledges to:
- Extend the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (to include milk-based drinks and/or review thresholds)
- Expand access to free school meals
- Review and strengthen the School Food Standards
- Implement restrictions on multi-buy promotions from October 1st
New announcements include:
- Introducing Healthy Food Standards (mandatory reporting and mandatory targets)
- A 10% increase in the value of Healthy Start vouchers
- Updating existing marketing rules using the new Nutrient Profile Model
- Doubling access to the Digital Weight Management Programme
Other measures include proposals for nutrition and health warnings on alcohol, an incentives scheme, and a public physical activity campaign.
A recent nationally representative survey of over 2000 adults, carried out by Public First, commissioned by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the Alcohol Health Alliance, and the Obesity Health Alliance, revealed:
- 81% believe companies put profit ahead of public health.
- Just 26% trust businesses to be honest about the health impact of their products.
- 74% want the government to prioritise the public’s health over business growth.
Colette Marshall, Chief Executive at Diabetes UK said:
“The 10-Year Health Plan for England could chart a new course in the Government’s ambition to improve the nation’s health. One in five people are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, so there is an urgent need to address the diabetes crisis – and we look forward to working with the Government and NHS to deliver on their commitments.
“People with diabetes account for almost a third of cardiovascular deaths in England, so the CVD service framework could be a powerful tool to reduce the devastating impact of diabetes complications. We welcome the pledge to partner with charities to support people newly diagnosed with a health condition, and will share our expertise to ensure people with all types of diabetes can benefit. The Government has also set an ambitious goal to turn the tide on obesity, so it is vital that legislation is implemented and treatments are rolled out at pace, to reduce the number of people developing type 2 diabetes.
“Diabetes is serious and it can be a gateway to further life-altering, long-term conditions. Fully realised, the 10-Year Health Plan could transform diabetes care and drastically improve the health of our communities.”
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said:
“You can’t upgrade the nation’s health without tackling cardiovascular disease, one of the UK’s biggest killers.
“Today’s ambitious plan lays the foundation for how we can stop more lives lost too soon to heart disease, prevent more heart attacks and strokes, and help more people live with healthier hearts for longer.”
Dr Vicky Sibson – Director, First Steps Nutrition Trust
“Implementation of the NHS 10 year plan will no doubt lead to positive health outcomes for the UK population. For the lowest income families with babies and young children, the announced 10% uplift in the Healthy Start allowance is very welcome.
However, the plan will not meaningfully or sustainably reduce levels of obesity beyond the term of this Government without further comprehensive action to improve the food environment in the earliest years, as well as curbs on the role of the food industry.
Future commitments must include better protections and support for breastfeeding and infant feeding, and stronger, independently enforced, mandatory regulations on the composition, marketing and labelling of shop-bought baby and toddler foods. Such measures have strong public backing and are essential for the Government to meet its promises on child health”.
Professor Nicola Heslehurst – President, The Association for the Study of Obesity
“The 10-Year Health Plan sets out some promising steps, including the long-overdue update to the Nutrient Profiling Model, transparent reporting and mandatory health targets for large food companies, strengthened school food standards, and an uplift to the Healthy Start scheme. If implemented with ambition and protected from commercial pressure, these policies could contribute to a healthier, fairer future.
But progress on obesity will not be achieved through incentive apps and awareness campaigns alone. Obesity is a complex, chronic condition shaped by systems, not individual choices. We are concerned by signals that key protections, like promotion restrictions, could be repealed before the food system has meaningfully changed.
“ASO welcomes the Government’s renewed commitment to prevention but urges Ministers to prioritise long-term structural change, not short-term optics. We stand ready to support delivery through the collective expertise of our research, clinical, and professional community.”
Amelia Lake, Professor of Public Health Nutrition Teesside University and Deputy Director of Fuse, the Centre for Translation of Research in Public Health.
“It is reassuring that this 10 year plan is moving in the right direction. We need to put people & communities at the heart of our response to the challenging environments in which we live.
“We were pleased to see the ban of sales of energy drinks to under 16s in the King’s speech last year and look forward to seeing government action to realise this manifesto promise.
“With regards to the food environment and creating a healthier foodscape for people to make healthy, affordable food choices. While the plan emphasis on planning legislation is helpful, the government need to focus on the new and ever expanding digital food environment which requires both further understanding and appropriate measures at local and national government level.
“Obesity is complex condition and needs to be framed within the wider issue of health inequalities.
Government needs to be mindful of upstream approaches to ensure that all of society can access healthy nutritious food.”
Sonia Pombo, Head of Impact & Research at Action on Salt based at Queen Mary University of London
“We are pleased to see the Government recommit to a ban on energy drinks for children as well as the introduction of nutrition labelling for alcoholic beverages; these are both important steps toward a healthier food and drink environment. We wholeheartedly support the Government’s recognition of the powerful role food and drink businesses play in shaping the nation’s health.
To deliver meaningful change, we need urgent action, led by evidence rather than industry interests. Excess salt and sugar consumption are major contributors to non-communicable diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes – all of which are largely preventable. Voluntary efforts have consistently failed to deliver the scale of change needed. By introducing robust, enforceable targets for salt and sugar reduction – and making reporting mandatory – we can begin to shift the burden away from individuals and onto a wider food system that prioritises health.
This 10 year plan marks a pivotal opportunity to improve the health of the nation. We urge the Government to act swiftly and decisively.”
Nicola Calder, Food Active Programme Manager, Health Equalities Group
“We are pleased to see the shift from sickness to prevention in the 10 Year Health Plan announced today, which is vital to improving population health, reducing health inequalities and creating healthier environments.
The government have pledged a host of preventative measures, with a key focus on child health, including restricting less healthy food marketing to children, banning the sale of energy drinks to under 16-year-olds, expanding free school meals, reviewing the school food standards and restoring the value of Healthy Start from financial year 2026 to 2027.
Whilst we applaud these commitments to creating a fairer and healthier food system for all, the government must ensure a robust and ambitious framework for implementation, and we welcome opportunities to further engage in future policy development”.
Christus Ferneyhough – Public Health Registrar
“While a commitment to prevention within the NHS 10-Year Plan is welcome and essential to addressing the challenges we face, real progress for public health, and particularly for the obesity crisis, demands bold, mandatory action, not just a reiteration of past promises and ambitions, or campaigns that shift responsibility onto individuals. We must see a clear legislative pathway that transforms our food system and environment from one that fuels ill health to one that champions good health, ensuring equitable access to nourishing food for everyone across the UK, regardless of postcode or income.”
Kate Oldridge-Turner, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the World Cancer Research Fund:
“World Cancer Research Fund welcomes the UK Government’s 10-Year Health Plan and its strong emphasis on prevention. New measures such as mandatory healthy food sales reporting, clearer labelling on alcohol, and investment in physical activity are important and encouraging steps towards creating healthier environments for all.
“However, bold ambition must be matched by bold action and the Plan misses critical opportunities to address alcohol harm and protect infant health. Following on from our Cancer Prevention Action week on alcohol and cancer, we urge the Government to introduce a National Alcohol Strategy for England which introduces minimum unit pricing and marketing restrictions, alongside labelling.
“We are hopeful about this Government’s commitment to prevention which must be protected from undue industry influence, and we stand ready to work together to turn ambition into action – helping millions live longer, healthier, cancer-free lives.”
Jonathan Pauling, Chief Executive of Alexandra Rose Charity
“There’s much to celebrate in the bold, preventative approach to public health set out in today’s NHS 10-Year Health Plan. We are particularly pleased to see a new commitment to restore the value of Healthy Start vouchers. Through our Early Years Rose Voucher projects, we’ve built a strong evidence base showing that affordable access to fruit and veg can significantly improve children’s diets and lay the foundation for lifelong healthy choices.
“Equally encouraging is the Government’s recognition of the role food companies must play in transforming our food environment. New mandatory healthy food sales reporting and targets, alongside restrictions on junk food marketing to children, represent a real shift in ambition. Together, these steps are critical if we are to move the norm away from ultra-processed foods and towards a food system that prioritises health, dignity and equity.
“As we move toward a more preventative model of healthcare, it’s vital we recognise the role of community-based, integrated approaches in making these changes stick. Our Fruit & Veg on Prescription project is a clear example. Its success hinges on close partnerships with trusted, place-based community organisations, connecting people not just to food, but to wider support in ways that are accessible, dignified and effective. What’s needed now is proper investment to scale what’s already making a difference in communities across the country.”
Charlotte Gage, Co-Director of Adfree Cities
“It is encouraging to see the Government’s understanding of the impact that unhealthy environments have on communities, and the role that the food industry and advertising has in this as a commercial determinant of health. However, we would like to see the 10 year plan go further by giving local councils more powers to restrict unhealthy advertising on our streets and transport networks where it cannot be avoided.”
Nicki Whiteman, Interim CEO of Bite Back
“Young people know what it feels like to grow up in a world where junk food is everywhere — on their streets, screens, and at their school gates. So we welcome the Government’s recognition that children can’t be expected to navigate this alone.
“Bite Back’s young campaigners tell us that the current food system is designed to influence what children eat in ways that harm their health. The 10-Year Health Plan includes some strong signals — tighter rules on advertising, school food improvements, and accountability for big food businesses. But now we need action at pace.
“Teenagers already feel that time is running out. We need to act quickly to protect the health of the next generation — the real test of this plan is whether it protects the next generation from the flood of unhealthy marketing still dominating our daily lives.”
Sustain Commercial Determinants Co-ordinator Fran Bernhardt says:
“When it comes to unhealthy food, restricting advertising is a no-brainer of a policy for championing children’s health. So it’s surprising that in a document setting out the plan for the future, there is no commitment beyond those they were meant to have been delivered in the past, and are now in the process of actively delaying and diluting. We hope the Government will follow the evidence more ambitiously in future by restricting all advertising for unhealthy food as soon as possible so that all our children’s health can benefit.”