New Food Active policy calls coincide with 2024 General Election

As the UK prepares to head to the polls in a week’s time, political parties have unveiled their manifestos outlining their plans for the nation’s future. This pivotal election coincides with the relaunch of Food Active’s policy calls — a bold and ambitious set of recommendations aimed at promoting healthy weight and tackling health inequalities. Our recommendations are grouped into four key areas, and below is a summary of how the main political parties’ pledges align with these priorities.

1. Advocating for healthy weight in policies
Food Active advocates for increasing the public health grant and giving local authorities greater powers to promote healthier weight environments. The Liberal Democrats and Greens support these priorities, while Labour and the Conservatives remain less aligned. Labour does, however, propose specific measures, such as restricting fast-food outlets near schools.

2. Reducing the availability and marketing of less healthy food
There is broad cross-party support for restricting unhealthy food advertising, particularly on TV and online. Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour aim to extend the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, with Labour also pledging to ban energy drink sales to children. However, when it comes to improving food packaging, only the Liberal Democrats and Greens have made vague commitments in this area.

3. Addressing food insecurity and improving access to healthy diets
The parties take varied approaches to tackling food insecurity. Both the Liberal Democrats and Greens commit to extending Free School Meals, while Labour and the Conservatives have not made this pledge. Labour, however, proposes offering free healthy breakfasts for all primary school children. The Greens focus on ensuring sufficient income for everyone to afford healthy food choices. Unfortunately, no party has committed to expanding the Healthy Start scheme, which remains a critical support system for low-income families.

4. Promoting healthy environments
All major parties are in favour of increasing active travel, with the Greens offering the most ambitious proposals. However, none of the manifestos directly address improvements to the school food environment, an area Food Active highlighted in our recent Fuelling the Future report. The Conservatives propose expanding Family Hubs, while the Greens and Liberal Democrats suggest early support measures. Labour, notably, lacks specific commitments in this area.

For a more detailed analysis, click here.

While no manifesto fully aligns with all of Food Active’s priorities, there is notable cross-party support for several key policies, including tighter restrictions on unhealthy food advertising. However, significant gaps remain, particularly in expanding access to healthy food through initiatives like Healthy Start and Free School Meals. As we await the election outcome, it will be crucial to see which party takes office and what their immediate public health priorities will be.