The ultra-processed food (UPF) industry has blocked government attempts to push shops to promote deals on healthy foods.
Join us in calling on the government to tell The Whole Truth about what we should be eating to protect our health.
Emails obtained by the Soil Association via the Freedom of Information Act show the UK government retracting from its plans to back "minimally processed foods" after months of persistent lobbying by the food manufacturing sector. This leaves the door open for business-as-usual sales of ultra-processed products, when the plans could have been used to steer retailers towards making genuinely healthy foods more affordable.
UPF industry lobbying exposed
The government's Department of Health and Social Care had planned to encourage retailers to shift the balance of price promotions towards minimally processed foods - which includes fruit, vegetables, beans, whole grains like rice and pasta, and unprocessed meat.
But industry lobbyists, representing the UK's biggest ultra-processed food companies, demanded this advice was removed from the guidance issued to retailers, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that minimally processed and whole foods are crucial for a healthy diet.
It's time to take action
Worldwide, the ultra-processed food industry spends millions of pounds every year, lobbying governments, reshaping health policy to protect their business interests. This can't go on.
