Supermarkets ‘should offer more promotions on healthy food items’

A new consumer report has highlighted the need for supermarkets to provide more price promotions on healthy food and drink items.

The Which? report analysed data collected by mySupermarket on the number of promotions across the major supermarkets between April and June this year. Of the 77,165 deals where nutritional data was available, 53 percent were on foods deemed to be less healthy.

It was shown that 52 percent of confectionery items were on offer, compared to only around 30 percent of fresh fruit and 34 percent of vegetables, while 69 percent of soft drinks that would fall under the higher band of the government's proposed sugar tax were also on offer.

With a separate survey indicating that 29 percent of people find it difficult to eat healthily as they think healthier foods are more expensive, Which? has urged retailers to include healthier options in their promotions and remove less healthy items from checkouts.

It also suggested the introduction of government measures to hold retailers to account for the promotion of less healthy foods if they fail to improve.

Alex Neill, director of campaigns and policy at Which?, said: "It's time for supermarkets to shift the balance of products they include in price promotions and for all retailers to get rid of temptation at the till by taking sweets off the checkout."