The British Retail Consortium today praised the efforts of UK shops to help in the fight against obesity. The group said that its members were ensuring that customers were receiving better information about the food available and were being offered healthier choices.
A report commissioned by the group, representing shops all over the UK, said that Britain was the leading country in Europe when it came to putting information about nutritional content on the packaging of food. It also praised retailers who had offered price discounts on fruit and vegetables, claiming this encouraged more people to eat healthily. The report finally pointed out that companies were now starting to offer varied portion sizes.
Companies that took part on the report, entitled British Retailing: A Commitment to Health included Asda, Burger King, Boots, Marks and Spencer and McDonalds. Stephen Robertson, the director general of the British Retail Consortium, said that the report showed the companies could voluntarily make differences to the nation’s eating habits without laws forcing them to do so, saying that shops were motivated by customer demand and increased competition to cement their healthy credentials. Many businesses have been nervous that more stringent regulation will soon be introduced forcing them to reduce salt content and help customers make healthy choices when shopping.