Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives strategy

Pandemic context

In July 2020, Public Health England (PHE) published a report which described that risk for COVID-19 increased progressively as body mass index (BMI) rose above the healthy weight range. Individuals who were overweight or living with obesity were at a higher risk of being severely ill and dying from the virus.

Tackling obesity – the strategy

On 27 July 2020, the Department of Health and Social Care published a new strategy on tackling obesity, saying that ‘COVID-19 has given us a wake-up call’. The strategy described how living with obesity reduced life expectancy and increased the risk of some diseases. It also described how tackling obesity would reduce pressure on NHS services. 

Government committed to introducing a new public campaign on obesity and expanding weight management services. It also announced plans to consult on the ‘traffic light’ food label system in place that aimed to help people make more informed choices about their nutrition. A central plank of the strategy was a ‘Better Health’ information campaign, based around an NHS 12-week weight loss plan app.

The strategy also promised regulation to restrict the advertisement of unhealthy foods. This included: restrictions on some products high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) being marketed on TV before 9pm and a ban on paid-for advertising online; restrictions on the promotion of some HFSS products in shops; and calorie labelling measures.

Response

In response, Shadow Health and Social Care Minister Alex Norris stated that ‘an effective obesity strategy needs action, not consultation’. He called for more immediate steps to be taken to tackle this challenge. 

Further developments

The ban on advertising less healthy food or drink on television and online between 5pm and 9pm was included in the Health and Care Bill 2022 and was due to come into effect on 1 January 2023. On 14 May 2022, the Department of Health and Social Care announced that these advertising restrictions would be delayed by a year and come into force in January 2024.

On 6 April 2022, mandatory calorie labelling was introduced for large businesses selling food for immediate consumption, including takeaways, restaurants and cafés. 

On 7 June 2023, the government announced a 2-year NHS pilot of the anti-obesity drug Wegovy (semaglutide). This formed part of wider plans to understand the role of new obesity drugs and their affordability for the NHS, based on emerging evidence from pilot schemes and NICE guidance. But the pilot did not begin by the time a new government was elected in July 2024. 

On 17 June 2023, rules banning multibuy promotions on foods and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar – including ‘buy one get one free’ deals – were delayed for another 2 years until October 2025, to allow further time to assess the impact on businesses and consumers. These restrictions were originally due to come into force in October 2022, then postponed to October 2023 before the latest delay to 2025.