Moving away from ultra-processed foods
Food systems are often heavily influenced by profit-driven industries, but strong policy can successfully push these industries to shift their marketing practices as well as the nutritional make-up of foods – particularly ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are industrially processed to be highly profitable, convenient and hyper-palatable.
UPFs are not only widely available, but are also marketed far more aggressively than healthier foods. A US study found that almost 60% of supermarket promotions were for processed products. There is also growing concern about the increasing proportion of ultra-processed foods that babies and toddlers are exposed to; in some countries, including the UK and Canada, UPFs account for around 50% of daily calorie intake for these age groups.
Mexico has successfully developed a clear policy around food labelling and marketing. The law incentivises producers to reformulate their products to be healthier, provide clearer information to consumers about less-healthy foods, and reduce the lure of unhealthy foods – particularly to children. Cartoon mascots on unhealthy food products were banned in 2018, and starting in 2020 the country required front-of-packet nutrition labels on all products with ‘excess’ sugar, calories, salt or saturated fat.
Addressing inequitable access to healthy choices
Another well-recognised issue is that, despite considerable investment in public awareness and education campaigns, many people find it difficult to eat healthily due to factors such as the low availability and high cost of heathier foods. For example, obesity risk factors have long been linked to social disadvantage. And prevention strategies are not always informed by the social determinants of health when they are adapted for the local level.
To address the issue, a pilot project in Belgium is working with healthcare and anti-poverty organisations, as well as organisations linked to food production and distribution, to try to foster a common vision on the future of food. The programme aims to increase the availability of healthy, sustainable and ethical food through investment in the food supply chain, and to improve access to healthy food.
This has been achieved by providing participants in the pilot community with a credit card containing €150 per month to spend on food. The foods that can be purchased on the card are chosen democratically by participants; there is an emphasis on improving access to local and sustainable food and excluding UPFs. A report on the pilot outcome showed that participants were able to purchase a wider range of fresh fruit and vegetables, and that this increased their consumption of these foods.
Shaping the built environment
In addition to access to healthy foods, the built environment should be a key policy consideration. Where people live influences, and often limits, their behaviour. For example, urban sprawl often makes people more dependent on cars and hinders opportunities to walk or cycle – with more walkable environments linked to lower levels of obesity.
