Consumer group Which? has called on supermarkets to do more to promote healthy eating and help combat obesity.
Which? analysed mySupermarket data on supermarket promotions between April and June this year. Of the 77,165 promotions noted, just over half (53 per cent) were on less healthy foods.
Some 52 per cent of confectionery was sold on offer, compared to around a third of fresh fruit (30 per cent) and vegetables (34 per cent). Nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) of soft drinks that would fall under the higher sugar band category in the proposed sugar tax were on promotion.
In a separate survey, Which? found 29 per cent find it difficult to eat healthily as they think healthier food is more expensive than less healthy food. This was the top reason given for not eating more healthily.
Half (51 per cent) said supermarkets should include more healthier choices in promotions to make it easier for people to choose healthier food. This was the top action people wanted from supermarkets, followed by making healthier options cheaper (49 per cent) and making foods with less fat, sugar and salt (49 per cent).
In a snapshot study of supermarkets, high street stores, clothes shops, chemists and toy shops in May, Which? also found that confectionery and other unhealthy snacks and fizzy drinks were still being promoted at the checkout.
Following the results Which? called on retailers to include more healthier options in their price promotions and remove less healthy foods from their checkouts. The government should also publish its Childhood Obesity Strategy as soon as possible, it said, and, as part of a range of measures, hold retailers to account for the promotion of less healthy foods if they fail to improve.
Alex Neill, Which? director of campaigns and policy, said: “Everybody has to play their part in the fight against obesity and people want supermarkets to offer more promotions on healthier foods and yet our research found the opposite.
“It’s time for supermarkets to shift the balance of products they include in price promotions and for all retailers to get rid of temptation at the till by taking sweets off the checkout.”
Reacting to the figures,Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability policy at the British Retail Consortium, said: 'Supermarkets offer great value in all the products they sell and it has never been easier or more affordable to choose a balanced diet.'
No comments yet