Government 10 Year Health Plan Published

3 July 2025

The Government’s 10 Year Health Plan has been released today, following Sunday’s announcement of a new Healthy Food Standard that will mandate a target for sales of healthy products and incentivise retailers to stock, promote and reformulate healthier products. It is hoped that this policy will contribute significantly to the reduction of obesity, with Nesta modelling suggesting it could reduce obesity by around a fifth, supporting over three million people achieve a healthier weight.   

Additional actions promised by the Government within this new plan are: 

• An introduction of mandatory nutritional information and health warning messages on alcoholic drinks, to align with existing health and nutritional labelling requirements for tobacco, food and alcohol-free drinks. These drinks are currently high in hidden sugars and calories yet often do not contain any on-pack sugar information.
• To update the current 2004 Nutrient Profile Model (NPM) for the categorising of food and drink as more or less healthy. An update on the NPM was consulted on in 2018 (see our response) but the previous government failed to make a final decision. An update to the NPM is estimated to reduce adult obesity cases by nearly 170,000. 
• Restore the value of the Healthy Start scheme from 2026 to 2027. Eligible families with children aged 1-4 and pregnant women will each receive £4.65 per week (up from £4.25), with children under 1 receiving £9.30 every week (up from £8.50). 

Actions already promised by the government but reiterated within this new plan are:  

• The introduction of the planned restrictions on volume price promotions on unhealthy food and drink, due to come into force 1st October 2025.
• The restriction of ‘junk food’ advertising targeted at children, due to come into force January 5th 2026 after several delays. 
• Banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks. This was consulted on in 2018. The plan reports that it will reduce childhood obesity rates by an estimated 0.4 percentage points, with health benefits of £7.7billion.
• Give local authorities the authority to block new fast-food outlets near schools using their revised National Planning Policy Framework.
• Revise the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) to uplift the levy, reduce minimum sugar thresholds and remove the exemption for milk-based drinks (currently under consultation). 
• Expand Free School Meals so all children with a parent in receipt of Universal Credit are eligible.
• Update the School Food Standards legislation, ensuring schools provide healthy, nutritious food. This is estimated to reduce childhood obesity by 1.8 percentage points. 

 

Responding to the plan, Zoe Davies, Senior Nutrition Projects Officer, says: 

“Sugary alcoholic drinks pose a double threat to public health – combining the harms of alcohol with those of excess sugar, which fuels tooth decay, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. It is a scandal that these drinks have escaped both the sugar tax and coherent nutritional labelling, simply because they contain alcohol. 

 "The government’s commitment to mandatory, consistent labelling of alcoholic drinks is a crucial step forward. Consumers have the right to know exactly what they are drinking – far more than they currently do, given that shoppers get less information about alcohol than about milk or orange juice. This disparity is outrageous and unfair. 

 "Mandatory labelling and sugar content will help people make informed, healthier choices and hopefully push manufacturers to reformulate products with less sugar, calories, and alcohol. This is about protecting public health and reducing the billions in costs to the NHS caused by alcohol and sugar-related diseases.” 

Commenting on the plan's proposed actions, Dr Kawther Hashem, Head of Research & Impact at Action on Sugar, adds: 

"We wholeheartedly welcome the government’s bold and much-needed 10-year health plan to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16. This is a crucial step forward in protecting young people’s health and wellbeing. 

 "Energy drinks loaded with caffeine and sugar have been a growing concern, especially for children and teenagers who are more vulnerable to the negative impacts on their developing bodies and minds. The government’s commitment to not only restrict access but also set mandatory targets for improving the healthiness of products sold across the board is a game-changer.  

 "By holding manufacturers accountable and driving reformulation, we can expect to see real improvements in the nutritional quality of many products. These targets must be ambitious, evidence-based, and effectively enforced. Now is the time to build on this momentum and push for swift implementation." 

Can the Plan go Further?

We welcome the government's recognition of the powerful role supermarkets and food environments have in obesity and disease prevention. The voluntary efforts of the past have continually fallen short, and we need to see bold enforceable policies such as these, that support healthier choices and protect future generations. With the plan only just launched, we hope, however, to see a continued commitment to prevention as outlined in our manifesto, namely in the form of: 

• Mandatory salt, sugar and calorie maximum targets set for food and drink businesses, including the out of home sector. Whilst the announcement of mandatory healthy food standards is welcome, a focus on just reducing overweight and obesity does not necessarily address all the risks associated with a poor diet. 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, yet voluntary reduction 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.  

• An expansion of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) onto foods. The SDIL has proven incredibly successful in driving reformulation and reducing sugar consumption, as evident in the latest government review on sugar reduction in drinks between 2015 and 2025 published today. Whilst the most recent SDIL Consultation has proposed some promising changes to include sugary milk-based drinks and lowering the sugar threshold, we would like to see its success expanded onto foods. Doing so will further encourage reformulation and lend itself to the proposed health benefits. 

• Advertising restrictions extended to all food and drink high in fat, salt and sugars (HFSS). Following the recently delayed TV and online advertising restrictions for less healthy foods in select food categories, we want to see enforced and comprehensive restrictions on all food and drink deemed HFSS, promoted on TV and online channels and formats. Doing so will reduce children's harmful exposure to such ads and push back against the rising rates of childhood obesity and health conditions, creating a healthier food environment.  

• Publication of official guidelines that improve the nutritional composition of infant foods. Many baby food products contain excessive and unnecessary levels of sugar and are full of misleading health claims that potentially set up children for a lifetime of food-related ill health. Mandatory limits on sugar content and marketing restrictions would greatly protect the health of babies and toddlers during their critical development stages. 

• Mandatory front-of-pack colour coded nutrition labelling, with stricter criteria for high fat, salt and sugar. Front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) is crucial in helping people make more informed and healthier choices, but the current colour coded system, which has been in place since 2013, is only voluntary. If we want to support healthier choices, then a mandatory approach to labelling would create a level playing field where we all have the same information about our food, regardless of where we buy it or which brand we choose. This should extend not just to store bought packaged foods, but to the out of home sector too. 

Commenting on the potential for the plan, Sonia Pombo, Head of Impact and Research at Action on Salt, says:  

"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."