Retailers need to do more to encourage Brits to eat more healthily, according to Tesco’s food policy adviser.
Tim Smith, speaking at the Vegetable Summit at City Hall in London, said all supermarkets were guilty of doing too little to point customers in the direction of the healthiest aisles, with two-thirds of Tesco customers asking the retailer to help them choose healthier lines.
Education is key, Smith said, describing a “lost generation” who had little understanding of where food comes from, and said retailers are well placed to help.
Nevetherless, he pointed out that Tesco shoppers’ baskets have been getting healthier for the last three years, and made several commitments to help them further. “It’s about encouraging people to make those choices,” he stressed. “It’s about small incremental nudges.”
These include a goal of increasing the amount of vegetables in new recipe formulations and ensuring more veg are included in evening meal deals. For example, the Finest evening meal deal will always include two vegetable side dish options, he promised.
Smith cited innovations such as cauliflower couscous, mushroom steaks and courgetti as good examples of creative thinking when it comes to veg NPD, adding that Tesco will be reformulating many of its ready meals over the next couple of years to include more vegetables.
“We will continue to work with our supplier partners to develop new vegetable-based products to increase the overall consumption of vegetables,” Smith said, adding that the introduction of its farm brand range had been so successful that 70 per cent of customers now regularly buy them.
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