M&S and Asda slam Labour’s plans to cut calories from shoppers’ baskets

3rd July 2025

M&S and Asda, alongside major food producers have criticised Labour’s new proposal forcing supermarkets to reduce calories in customers’ baskets or face fines.

The plan, part of Labour’s forthcoming 10-year health strategy, aims to cut up to 100 calories from average shopping baskets. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it would “make the healthy choice the easy choice”.

But industry leaders say the policy is rushed, adds costly red tape, and risks failing to tackle obesity.

Speaking to The Telegraph, M&S CEO Stuart Machin said the proposals “will likely add cost with no discernible improvement in public health”.

While Asda chair Allan Leighton warned ministers to “consider the cumulative regulatory burden and costs supermarkets are already bearing”.

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While supporting healthier eating, executives said ministers failed to work with the industry.

Leighton said: “Engaging us collectively and genuinely to meet the challenge of rising obesity would harness that expertise to deliver tangible and lasting outcomes.”

Machin added M&S “would love to share our learnings with the government and support a joint industry effort”.

Retailers are frustrated the rules seem to target supermarkets alone.

Machin said: “The easy opt-out is to target supermarkets, when almost half the public use takeaways and fast food weekly. And it is just plain wrong they are ignoring alcohol, which is also calorie dense.”

He criticised what he called rushed engagement, adding: “We were supposed to have a detailed food strategy that looked at the food system end-to-end – instead it appears we’ve got rushed engagement on a Friday afternoon to support headlines in the Sunday papers.”

Ministers say regulations will cover all food businesses, including restaurants and fast food chains, though those plans are less developed.

Leighton said: “We are supportive of prevention and our role in delivering it. We – the supermarkets – are part of the solution, not the problem.”

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