Major UK Retailers Sign Up to Government Healthy Living Deal

The seven largest food retailers in the UK, all members of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), have committed themselves to every relevant pledge on food and alcohol in the Public Health Responsibility Deal.

3/15/2011 --- Britain's biggest food retailers have signed up to a full list of pledges being launched by the Government today (Tuesday) which aim to help consumers make healthier choices. The seven largest food retailers in the UK, all members of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), have committed themselves to every relevant pledge on food and alcohol in the Public Health Responsibility Deal.

The Responsibility Deal was co-ordinated by the Department of Health and has been led by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. Other BRC members have added their names to pledges relating to their businesses as part of the new approach.

The promises include providing similar calorie information for food eaten out as is already provided for food in the home. Retailers are pledging to increase unit awareness on their alcoholic drinks and to expand their funding of local alcohol programmes. The BRC says the key factor will be the future involvement of other sectors, such as manufacturing and catering.

Food Director at the British Retail Consortium, Andrew Opie, said: "The Responsibility Deal being launched this week is a significant development bringing together industry, the Government and campaign groups to help promote healthy eating and drinking habits.

"Customers make the final decision about what goes in their baskets but retailers do a lot to help shoppers look after their own and their families' health.
"Retailers have pioneered healthy eating initiatives such as the introduction of clear calorie information on packs and the removal of artificial trans-fats. They offer customers thousands of healthy products to choose from and these are often included in promotions and special offers.

"The next step must be more involvement from other sectors, such as manufacturing and catering. It's also essential that people can get good information and advice to put into action in their own homes. It's pointless retailers taking salt out of their products if families just add it themselves when they sit down to eat, for example.

"Having a healthier population involves everyone playing their part. The Responsibility Deal is more evidence that the retail sector takes its responsibilities seriously."

Meanwhile SABMiller plc and its UK subsidiary Miller Brands have given strong backing to the UK government's first Public Health Responsibility Deal (PHRD), announced today. The Deal is a significant initiative and represents a new approach from the Department of Health to get industry, NGOs, the public health community and government working together to address public health challenges.

As a signatory to the PHRD, we have committed to a series of pledges focused on tackling alcohol abuse and encouraging people to drink responsibly.

We have worked with the government on the PHRD since its inception and have signed up to the pledges because we believe this joined-up approach is the most effective way of tackling alcohol abuse.

Sue Clark, SABMiller's Director of Corporate Affairs said; "It makes complete sense for the government to get all relevant parties around the table to find ways of addressing alcohol abuse. A complex, multi-faceted problem like alcohol abuse requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted response - and that is what the Public Health Responsibility Deal provides. It sets out practical, measurable and deliverable steps which can be a real catalyst for change if everyone plays their part".

We and the Deal's other partners have signed up to five core commitments relating to food, physical activity, alcohol, and health in the workplace. The pledge on alcohol says: "We will foster a culture of responsible drinking, which will help people to drink within guidelines".

We have also signed up to four of the "collective pledges" that relate to our business: clear labelling of our products, support for the charity Drinkaware, strengthening responsible marketing practices within the industry, and supporting local partnerships to address social and health harms.

Finally, we have made three individual pledges, which focus on helping consumers make informed choices about alcohol, providing support for the responsible retailing of alcohol and supporting research into effective ways of promoting a culture of responsible drinking. We will publish details of our progress against all these commitments, recognising, however, that making pledges is just one step on the journey to success.