Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England

This new plan (which now includes several corrections and modifications) rightly focuses on prevention – but in doing so relies on  ‘partnerships with businesses’ ‘growth’  and ‘innovation’ alongside uncritical references to highly promotional corporate strategies.  Worryingly there are no references to the need for independent scrutiny of  commercial  claims or the need to protect the policy-setting and planning from commercial  influence that can derail and undermine everything.

Without such scrutiny the plan is likely to encourage  schemes such as the Tesco/ Danone High Street scheme that we exposed and helped stop in January. Danone was paying midwives to provide infant feeding advice, reminding us of  Nestlé’s notorious “Milk Nurses” of the 1970s

Now we see on page 58:

“…In developing this plan, we have heard from: businesses who want to partner on innovation .

….This Coalition is not waiting for Government. Danone(119) has committed to never introducing a high fat, salt or sugar product targeted at children.”   

…….”Our new operating model, will support the growth of the industries working with us on our health mission. Failure of the NHS to partner, and any sign of a ‘not invented here’ mentality, will not be tolerated…..The new centre will ensure relationships with industry are genuine partnerships, where too often they have been transactional. We will expand the role life sciences and technology companies can play a role in service delivery.”

This article on Plant Based drinks  exposes the hollowness of Danone’s promises and its relentless and aggressive promotion of the totally unnecessary and harmful Growing up Milks, products that “are the main source of free sugars among those 12- to 18-month-old children who consume them, accounting for half of their total free sugars intake”.  Danone’s Alpro GUM are currently the highest sugar products available for families to buy their young children with quantities that push young children well over their DHSC recommended free sugars intake. The products state ‘low in sugar’ on the pack, because by an adult metric, and by DHSC definition of free sugars, they are not high in sugars. But for the targeted age-group the sugar level is high.

The Fit for the Future 10-year plan  includes none of the safeguards recommended in WHO’s Guidance for Member States published in 2024 that call for “… transparent and informed decision-making processes … proper due diligence and to identify and manage risks enhance their decision-making capacity and unlock untapped opportunities while safeguarding public health from risks, including undue influence and conflicts of interest …measures to identify, avoid and manage or mitigate conflicts of interest and prevent the interference of private sector entities in public health policy development…”

Supporting member states in reaching informed decision-making on engaging with private : sector entities for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases: a practical tool.  WHO 2024