A new report, led by the Eating Better alliance and its supporting organisations, calls on the UK government to make reporting of plant-based protein sales mandatory for retail businesses amid new requirements for them to disclose healthy food sales.

The report highlights how a mandated approach, rather than a voluntary one, ensures a level playing field across industry and ensures standardisation of metrics and the reporting process.

Amid the UK government’s recently announced Healthy Food Standard for retailers is the mandatory requirement for all retail businesses to report on the sales of healthy foods, with targets to boost sales of such foods in line with aims to promote healthier food choices and tackle obesity in the country.

The named organisations behind the report, which include Wildlife and Countryside Link, Sustain, Clear and Obesity Health Alliance alongside Eating Better, are representing over 200 supporting organisations calling for an expansion to the government’s initiative.

The report states: “We support the government’s commitment to implementing mandatory reporting as soon as possible with retailers and manufacturers over a certain size. We urge the quick expansion into foodservice (out of home) too.”

The organisations call for the mandatory reporting to include the split between plant and animal protein, fruit and vegetable sales, and climate emissions.

They highlight that overconsumption of animal-based foods is associated with the highest diet-related environmental impacts, therefore a transition to diversify and rebalance consumption of foods from these groups is core to a healthy and sustainable diet shift as well as reduction of scope 3 emissions and improved animal welfare.

Catherine Chong, ESG advisor and engagement lead at the Clear Consortium, said: “While mandatory reporting on healthy food sales is a critical first step, it must rapidly evolve to include key socioecological criteria to drive the much-needed transformational changes and innovations across supply chains”.