Citizens’ Charter challenges food industry to prioritise health
A new citizen-led campaign is calling for change to the UK’s food system to make healthier foods more accessible and affordable - with the public urged to add their names in support.
Launched today as part of the Recipe for Change campaign, the Citizens’ Charter has been developed through a series of public workshops and polling, all pointing to one clear ask: the current food system is failing families, and ministers must take stronger action.
The campaign invites people from across the UK to add their names to the Charter and support the calls for healthier, more affordable food, alongside greater accountability from the food industry.
The launch comes at a critical time, with YouGov polling revealing almost half (47%) of Britons believe it now harder to eat a balanced diet than it was 20 years ago. Rising food prices and the lower cost of less-healthy options were identified as key reasons for this perception.
The findings also highlight widespread frustration with both policymakers and the food industry. A reported 79% of Britons believe government should be doing more to make balanced diets more affordable, while 84% say food companies are not doing enough to support public health.
Notably, nearly eight in ten (79%) people are also not confident that food companies will reduce levels of salt, sugar and saturated fat in their products without government intervention, underlining the need for stronger action from ministers.
The Citizens’ Charter outlines six priorities identified by members of the public:
- Making healthy food affordable, accessible and widely available
- Holding food companies accountable for their impact on public health
- Protecting children from aggressive marketing of unhealthy products
- Providing clear and trustworthy food information
- Involving communities in decisions about local food systems
- Creating inclusive spaces where people can access and share healthy food
Speaking on the campaign, 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.”
Action on Salt and Sugar are encouraging public, NGOs and businesses to sign the Charter and join the call for change – learn more about the campaign and add your name to the map.
