Sustain responds to new 10 Year Health Plan: Fit for the Future

The 10 Year Health Plan, Fit for the Future, rightly recognises that our health is shaped by the places we live in, and by the food environment, and are not just down to individual responsibility, especially for children.

In the section looking at shifting the focus of our health services towards prevention, the plan confirms a number of government commitments, many of which have already been announced or are in progress, and some which are new - asterisked here.

These include:

• Banning the sale of energy drinks to children under 16 years old, estimated to reduce childhood obesity rates by 0.4%
• Expanding free school meals so that all children with a parent in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from September 2026 and updating School Food Standards to align with latest health and nutritional guidance
• *Restoring the value of the Healthy Start scheme from 2026 to 2027, raising value of payments by just under 10% from £4.25 to £4.65 and double for children under 12 months
• Continue to drive innovations in the soft drinks industry, with the current consultation on lowering the entry threshold and ending the exemption for milk-based drinks for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy
• Restricting volume based price promotions of HFSS foods from 1 October 2025. However the plan also suggests that these regulations, plus restrictions on location-based promotions may be repealed in the future based on outcomes from mandatory sales reporting and targets.
• Restricting unhealthy food advertising targeting children.
• *Updating the 2004 Nutrient Profiling Model on which current advertising restrictions are based.
• Use the revised National Planning Policy Framework to give local councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools.
• Introducing mandatory sales reporting for large food businesses, and using the reporting to set future mandatory targets for healthier food and drink sales.

Children's Food Campaign Manager Barbara Crowther says:

"We welcome the focus in the 10 Year Health Plan on tackling health inequalities and the ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. It ought to be easy for children to eat healthily but parents overwhelmingly say it is getting harder. That's why we support measures to strengthen the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, expand healthy school food for more children, put more value behind Healthy Start, and implement the long promised energy drinks ban on sales to under-16s. We look forward to decisive action on all these in the coming year. 

"There is still a lot more that we believe the government must consider to ensure a truly comprehensive plan for a healthy, sustainable food system, including the financial incentives for healthier food and drink across the whole industry, not just the soft drinks sector. We urge the government not to overlook the growing body of evidence relating the poor nutritional content and misleading marketing of a growing market in commercial baby and toddler foods. We believe a review of existing regulations for these foods plus implementation of the Competition and Market Authority report on infant formula must also be addressed, to ensure we give all children the best and most nutritious start in life."

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."

Sustain Food Poverty Co-ordinator Isabel Rice says: 

"This government has committed to addressing child poverty and improving the health of the next generation. So we are pleased to see some decisive action in expanding free school meal eligibilty to reach more of the 900,000 children living in poverty who currently don't benefit, and that the Healthy Start scheme payments will increase in value. This will allow eligible families to buy more healthy essentials like fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula. This change is long overdue as the payment rate has not changed since April 2021, despite significant increases in food prices.

"We see this as a move in the right direction, and hope in the future to see more children able to access a nutritious school meal, and more families with low incomes, including those with no recourse to public funds be able to access Healthy Start, and for auto-enrolment for eligible families to remove barriers to these vital nutritional safety nets."

Responses from Sustain members and partners

Katharine Jenner, Director of the Obesity Health Alliance says:

“This is a positive step towards the healthier future people want. Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition that needs long-term support. Crucially, as the Government now rightly recognises, we must also shift to preventing ill health before it starts.

“After years of broken promises, delays and weak voluntary measures, this government must implement their Plan for Change in full this Parliament. Only then can we start to transform our food system – from one that fuels poor health to one that supports good health, right from the start of life.”

“Taking mandatory action to ban energy drinks for children, improve school food, limit junk food advertising and promotions, and financially support families to eat well from the earliest years won’t solve everything - but together with the new mandatory Healthy Food Standards, they are moving us in the right direction.”

Anna Taylor, Executive Director of the Food Foundation says: 

"The government has set out some bold proposals to help move the food system from causing sickness to prevention, which we whole-heartedly welcome. The NHS 10 Year Plan recognises the challenges which citizens up and down the country face in securing a nourishing diet need to be tackled in multiple ways - from improving school food to creating a level playing field so companies are not disadvantaged by promoting healthier options.

"We now need Government to implement these commitments quickly and effectively.

"The challenge of transforming a food system that drives obesity and illness, rather than health, is massive and will require even more action than was set out today. We're hopeful that the government's forthcoming food strategy will meet that challenge head on - because without it, we're fighting disease with one hand tied behind our back."

Dr Vicky Sibson - Director, First Steps Nutrition Trust says:

“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”.

Sonia Pombo, Head of Impact & Research at Action on Salt based at Queen Mary University of London said:

"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”.

Kate Oldridge-Turner, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the World Cancer Research Fund says: 

"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 says: 

“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.”