Healthy and Sustainable Diet Network summary

IGD have recently relaunched their Health and Sustainable Diets Network, a group of food system stakeholders who come together to face into some of the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the food system today, specifically improving the population’s diet. 

The group who will meet every six months going forward, had their first event in May. 

Shaping the next era of healthier and more sustainable diets, Sarah Bradbury, IGD CEO 

The Network conference opened with a compelling and honest account of where the food industry stands today, delivered by Sarah Bradbury, IGD’s CEO and keynote speaker. Sarah highlighted that despite decades of policy, voluntary action and innovation, the UK now faces an obesity crisis affecting 30% of adults and one in five children entering primary school. This costs the NHS £9.3 billion and the wider economy an estimated £24 billion annually; statistics that were recently published as part of IGD’s ‘The obesity crisis’ report. 

The food industry's remarkable post-war success in creating a safe, affordable and varied food system was acknowledged, but it was also made clear that incremental progress is no longer sufficient. The consequences of our diets are now firmly in the public consciousness, from debates around ultra-processed foods to the rapid uptake of GLP-1 weight-loss medications. 

Looking ahead, Sarah called for a fundamental reset of the food system one that aligns economic sustainability with human and planetary health. Progress demands genuine collaboration between industry, government, academia and health organisations.  

With domestic food production, reformulation and new business models all needing to accelerate simultaneously, she challenged every professional in the room to ask:  

"If consumers knew what you know, what would they want you to do?"  

Framing the next decade as a defining opportunity for those across the food system willing to lead. 

Eatwell Economics report overview 

IGD’s Head of Healthy and Sustainable Diets, Hannah Daley, presented our new Eatwell Economics report, which explores opportunities and challenges for the food industry to move to Government Dietary Guidance, The Eatwell Guide. 

The challenge is, that whilst the room was full of passionate food system representatives who want to see healthier food on shelves, health often doesn’t pay for businesses, and there are clear barriers to shifting consumer behaviour too. 

The report analyses this transition to the Eatwell Guide in detail, investigating the implications for retailer profitability alongside the opportunities & challenges for industry, government and consumers to adopt healthier diets. 

An Eatwell Guide aligned diet offers significant health savings of £211bn and environmental benefits but poses profitability challenges for the industry.  

The key question posed was ‘How to sustain the economic resilience of the industry, whilst improving the populations diet towards the Eatwell Guide. 

Panel: How do we shift consumer's diets closer to dietary guidelines? 

Host  

Hannah Skeggs, Senior Health and Sustainable Diets Manager, IGD 

Panellists 

Professor Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health, University of Oxford and Chair of the UK's Food Standards Agency;  

Professor Danielle McCarthy, Chief Health Officer, Spoon Guru and Co-Founder, Nutrition Talent  

Phil Gowland, Commercial Director & Director of Health, Whitworths;  

Nilani Sritharan, Group Head of Healthy & Sustainable Diets, Sainsbury’s 

Key discussion points 

One statistic that framed the discussion powerfully: less than 0.1% of the UK population currently meet all Eatwell Guide recommendations. 

Tackling the nation’s obesity problem was aptly described as “pushing water uphill in a string bag.” 

Consumers don’t make food choices in isolation. Convenience, affordability, habits and the wider food environment matter enormously. 

We need to move beyond framing health solely around restriction and think more positively about what we can add into diets. 

Data and technology are opening up exciting opportunities for more personalised support, but pace and accessibility remain critical. 

However, no single organisation can solve this alone. Progress will require aligned action across retailers, manufacturers, government, academia and health experts. 

All panellist agreed mandatory reporting could be an important tool to help drive change. 

Changing people’s diets is a massive challenge, but also a reminder of why these conversations, and cross-sector collaboration, matter.

GLP-1 Insights, Caroline Young, IGD Insights Manager 

GLP-1 usage for weight loss continues to rise. Based on IGD Futures research 3.1% of the UK population had used GLP-1 drugs for this purpose in June 2025, fast forward to May 2026 and that figure has more than doubled to 8%. 

Information and support are more often sought from peers and social media than regulated medical professionals such as online pharmacies and GPs. 

Changes to dietary patterns was described and supported by video interviews of those currently, and previously, on GLP-1 drugs. Three typologies of users emerged, with different motivations to use the medication. This dictated what changes they made to their consumption and shopping behaviour, 

There is an increasing curiosity to try GLP-1 drugs, as knowledge grows the barriers to usage continue to decline. As a result, user attention is turning to what happens when the drugs stop being taken. 

To find out more about IGD’s GLP-1 programme, contact [email protected] 

Panel: Can GLP-1s improve the nation’s health?   

Host 

Dan Clarke, Health and Sustainable Diets Manager, IGD;  

Panellists  

Professor Giles Yeo, Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology & MRC Investigator, University of Cambridge and Honorary President, British Dietetic Association;  

Carolyn Pallister, Head of Nutrition, Research & Health, Slimming World;  

Rhian Thomas, Director of Shopper Insights, IGD;  

Harriet Smith, CEO & Founder, HRS Communications 

Key points 

GLP-1s, or more accurately incretin-based medication, could represent a major shift in obesity treatment, but they are far from a silver bullet. 

Many people using them are seeking support, highlighting that people taking these drugs shouldn’t be left to figure things out on their own. Food, behaviour change and ongoing support remain essential alongside medication. 

Early shopper insight signals suggest changing purchasing patterns, with important implications for categories, ranging and innovation. 

The language we use around obesity and weight management and why it matters, particularly as public awareness and media attention continue to grow.  Along with weight loss GLP-1s have brought a new kind of stigma, one that users have “taken the easy way out” which means they’re reluctant to tell others they're taking medication.  

One of the biggest risks is that these drugs work regardless of a person’s starting weight, for example a 16-year-old girl with a BMI of 22 could take a GLP-1 drug and lose weight. This reinforces the need for restricted, responsible use and continued monitoring. 

Food products targeted at GLP-1 uses should not reference them, they are medicines, not marketing tools and these foods often serve a broader set of customers. As a result, new product development doesn’t need to create products specifically for GLP-1 users and this may even hamper a product’s adoption among the wider public. 

GLP-1 type drugs are exactly that drugs. They are important for conditions such as type-2 diabetes and obesity as the cost benefit analysis adds up. When it comes to personal choice, without adequate information, and decisions made on a cosmetic basis, GLP-1 drugs are not the answer.

Look out for our next event, held virtually in November 2026 

If you’d like to be a part of our next Healthy and Sustainable Diets Network, email [email protected]. 

The network is open for all people working in the food system, who can influence the Population to move to Healthier and more Sustainable diets.