Supermarkets need 'health warning'

Supermarkets should come with a “health warning” and must face up to their responsibilities as a key influence on food choices, Professor Stephen Atkin of Hull York Medical School told the HDC/STC Spring Conference on Monday 19th April 2010.

The event, entitled Selling a Healthier Future, aimed to look at how the fresh produce industry could push its products forward.

Atkin said: “Supermarkets can guide the consumer far more than the government can and this is a shame because sometimes I think that a health warning should be at the front of stores. There are so many unhealthy options and fruit and vegetables are not advertised enough.

“You can’t force people to change – even if they want to, it doesn’t mean that they will. Consumers have to buy into the message. You could argue that the healthy eating messages are failing.”