Citizens’ Charter launches to challenge food industry to prioritise health

• New Citizens’ Charter, based on citizen workshops and polling, urges ministers to back calls to stand up to big food companies and make healthy food more affordable
• Almost half of the British public (47%) say it is harder to eat a balanced diet now than it was 20 years ago
• 60% say eating a balanced diet is hard
• Of those, 81% say one reason for this is rising food prices and 70% say less healthy food is often cheaper than healthier options
• 79% of Britons say government should be doing more to make a balanced diet affordable and 84% saying food companies should be doing more
• Nearly eight in ten people (79%) are not confident that food companies will cut sugar, salt and saturated fat levels without government intervention
• The polling underpins a new Citizens’ Charter from Recipe for Change, calling for tougher action on the food industry and building pressure for stronger regulation on food businesses

A major new public campaign launched today by Recipe for Change, a coalition of 45 organisations led by Sustain, The Food Foundation and the Obesity Health Alliance, is sending a clear message to government and industry that people want their health to be prioritised alongside corporate profit-makings.

New YouGov polling reveals almost half of the British public (47%) think it is harder to eat a balanced diet now than 20 years ago, with a food system that makes unhealthy choices cheap, prominent and hard to avoid, while healthier options remain too expensive for many families. The polling is part of a new Citizens’ Charter, developed by people across the UK and launched by Recipe for Change, urging the public to sign a collective call to ministers to take tougher action on the food industry.

Among Britons who say it is hard to eat a balanced diet now, more than eight in ten (81%) say one reason for this is rising food prices, and 70% say it is because less healthy food costs less than healthier options. Among the entire population, there is also a clear sense that both government and industry are falling short, with 79% saying government should be doing more to make it affordable to achieve a balanced diet, and 84% saying companies themselves should be doing more.

Kate Howard, Children’s Food Campaign Coordinator at Sustain

“Food companies are incredibly good at innovation when there's a profit in it, and I see no reason why that same drive can't be turned towards making healthier food the easy, affordable option. Clearer rules benefit everyone, including industry.

“The people across the UK who developed the calls in this charter showed just how frustrated they are and how much they want change. That's why we’re urging everyone to add their name. The more people who sign, the harder it is for government and industry to look the other way."

The findings also point to deep public scepticism about voluntary action from the food industry. Nearly eight in ten people (79%) are not confident that companies will reduce the levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat in their products without government intervention.

Almost two thirds (63%) also think that supermarkets and companies that make food have increased prices by more than necessary to boost profits. Out of the 95% of people who said they think food prices have generally gone up in the past year, only 3% cited health or environmental regulations as a reason among a list of options. This comes as analysis by OC&C and The Grocer found that the UK’s 10 largest packaged food and drink manufacturers posted combined operating profits of more than £1.7 billion in 2025.

Support for tougher action is strong. Almost three quarters of the public (73%) would back legislation to regulate sugar and saturated fat levels in food, with similarly high support for regulations on the levels of salt in food (70%). There is also backing for the principle that companies should contribute to the damage linked to the products they sell, with 61% saying they think food and drink companies that sell products high in salt, sugar, and/or saturated fat should be required to help fund the costs of treating ill health related to such products.

Dr Amos Ogunkoya, BHF Health Ambassador says:

“As a doctor, I’ve seen that a poor diet is one of the biggest threats to our health in this country, and it's not down to bad choices, it's down to a bad system. Unhealthy food is cheap, it's everywhere, and it's heavily marketed. Healthy food is more expensive and hard to find. That has to change. 

We've seen what's possible - the sugar levy proved that when government acts, industry follows. We need that same boldness now, across the whole food system. That's why I'm backing this Charter and urging everyone to add their name."

The Citizens’ Charter will gather signatures over the coming months before being handed in to MPs in Westminster this autumn, demonstrating growing concern about unhealthy food environments and public support for stronger regulation across the food system, including as part of the implementation of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and Government’s Food Strategy.

By the time they reach their first year of school, children in the most deprived fifth of the population are almost twice as likely to be living with obesity as those in the least deprived fifth. On average, children are eating less than half the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, while consuming around twice the recommended amount of sugar.

While families are being squeezed and food-related ill health is rising, many of the businesses currently driving unhealthy diets continue to generate strong returns with the government urgently needing to ensure commercial incentives aren’t designed to support this. There is too little accountability, and it is children who are paying the price through worsening health.  

Backers of the Charter, which include the British Heart Foundation and Impact on Urban Health, say voluntary action has failed and that ministers must now act with more confidence. The campaign is calling for a healthier, fairer food system and for stronger safeguards to prevent food companies from weakening or delaying public health policy behind closed doors. With public support clear and growing, the time for bolder action is now.

Katharine Jenner, Executive Director, Obesity Health Alliance said:

“At a time when families are struggling with expensive shopping baskets, the public can see exactly where the pressure is coming from - almost two thirds believe food companies have increased prices beyond what is necessary to protect profits, while only 3% think regulation is to blame for higher food prices.

“With the 10 Year Health Plan and the forthcoming food strategy, government has a major opportunity to supercharge its moonshot to end the obesity epidemic by creating a food system that makes healthier choices easier, more affordable and more accessible for every family.”

John Maingay, Director of Policy at the British Heart Foundation, said:

“Poor diet is fuelling ill‑health across the UK, including high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease. Too much salt, sugar and unhealthy fat hidden in everyday food is putting millions of hearts at risk, and it's simply not fair to keep asking families to ‘choose better’ in a food system stacked against them.

“That’s why we’re backing this campaign and calling on government to take decisive, mandatory action to ensure food companies make everyday food healthier, so healthier choices are affordable, accessible and the easy choice for everyone.”

Dr Kawther Hashem, Senior Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition and Head of Research and Impact at Action on Salt & Sugar based at Queen Mary University of London said:  

“It’s never been clearer that people across the country want and deserve food that is both healthier and more affordable – yet government and the food industry continue to fall short.

“We have decades of evidence showing food can be made with far less salt and sugar, but as the polling shows, nearly 8 in 10 people don’t believe this will happen without strong government action. For too long, responsibility for making better choices has been unfairly pushed onto families, even when the system works so hard against them, driving record levels of diet-related ill health. Signing the Charter is an important way for the public to demand change, take back control, and call for a food system built on transparency, accountability and public health, not profit. 

“The findings echo what citizens have said in campaign focus groups and that is people are tired of being told to “make better choices” in a food environment that is stacked against them and fundamentally unfair.”

Dr Hannah Brinsden, Head of Policy and Advocacy, The Food Foundation, said:

“This research brings to life the challenges felt by citizens up and down the country with accessing healthy and affordable food. We know voluntary action doesn't work - we need strong government directions and policies to level the playing field and ensure that all companies play their role in supporting citizens to access the healthy and affordable food they clearly want. The NHS Plan set out a clear vision - but we know there's much more that can be done to shift the incentives in our system to support good growth for businesses, while also protecting our health.”