• Acknowledgment of the Problem: The government recognises that reducing obesity is crucial for improving public health and reducing early mortality.
• Reconfirms Existing Measures: Government outlines existing plans to implement advertising and multi-buy restrictions on foods high in fat salt and sugar, empower local authorities to limit new hot food takeaways, and develop a new Food Strategy.
• Reliance on Voluntary Actions: Government suggests a continued preference for voluntary measures over mandatory regulations, despite evidence suggesting limited effectiveness of such approaches.
• Food Data Transparency Partnership: No concrete action is suggested on the Food Data Transparency Partnership‘s work to set metrics for business to report on health, nor to the suggestion of mandatory reporting from big business on health to set a level playing field.
• No further action committed on existing nutrition policies: such as making front of pack labels mandatory, instead the government states preference for these measures to remain voluntary.

The UK Government’s response to the House of Lords report, Recipe for Health: A Plan to Fix Our Broken Food System, acknowledges the importance of addressing obesity and promoting healthier diets. However, the government has rejected the vast majority of the recommendations proposed by the House of Lords.

The government response suggests that reducing obesity is essential to its Plan for Change and its broader health mission to Build an NHS Fit for the Future. It also acknowledges the need to reshape the food environment that has contributed to poor health outcomes. However, rather than outlining concrete policy commitments, it references the upcoming Food Strategy, stating that it is still “developing options and approaches over the coming months”—raising concerns about whether meaningful action will follow.