Everyday foods need cigarette-style warnings to prevent disease, campaigners say

The recommendation is amongst a raft of “bold” measures recommended by health experts

More should be done to combat heart disease in the UK, campaigners say (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Food should be sold with mandatory front-of-pack labelling to combat heart disease in the UK. The measure, which is similar to how cigarettes are packaged, was recommended among a raft of others in a report by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The health charity also recommends new taxes be imposed on salty and sugary products, which they say would prevent up to 2 million cases of chronic disease and raise £3bn a year ro reinvest into health initiatives. Restricting advertising, price promotions, and sports sponsorships for these foods is also urged.

This “bold action” is required to combat rising heart disease amongst young people, says the BHF. They point out that, as of 2022, more people under the age of 75 are dying from heart-related diseases than at any time in the last 14 years.

They want the government to take steps to force the food industry to make products more nutritious and contain less salt and sugar, as recommendations are not strong enough measures. Implementing this ‘Heart Disease Action Plan’ could save as many as 11,000 lives by 2035, they add.

The British Heart Foundation is one of the most recognisable charities in the UK, and the biggest funder of research into heart disease in Europe (British Heart Foundation/PA) (PA Media)

BHF chief executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said: “Much of this disease burden is preventable, so we must get serious about tackling the biggest causes of heart attacks and strokes.

“The new Government must not shy away from removing persistent obstacles to a healthier population, such as tobacco and our unhealthy food environment.”

The report is part of the BHF’s Hearts Need More campaign, which also looks at environmental factors and health inequalities that contribute to heart disease.

As part of the plan, it is also recommended that the government introduce a ‘polluter pays’ tobacco levy, as it is pointed out that “around half of the difference in life expectancy between the least and most deprived in society” is caused by smoking.

The new Labour government has pledged to implement policy legislation, but largely doesn’t go as far as the BHF recommendations. To tackle obesity and heart disease, the government has said it will restrict the advertising of junk food to children and limit the sale of energy drinks to young people.

Sir Keir Starmer answered questions about the reported outdoor smoking ban whilst visiting French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris (EPA)

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has also recommitted to the smoking ban introduce by former leader Rishi Sunak, which will see cigarettes slowly phased out. When the bill is passed, it will mean that anyone aged 15 or younger in 2024 unable to ever legally buy a cigarette.

The government also recently made the divisive decision to ban smoking in outdoor areas such as pub gardens to protect public health. Sir Keir has defended the move as necessary to lift the burden of smoking-related diseases from the NHS, while opponents say the measure is authoritarian and will harm the hospitality industry.