Healthy Choices
New Health Strategy
In early 2024 we relaunched our health strategy, marking a new chapter in our long history of action on health, including being the first retailer to introduce front of pack traffic light labelling and the establishment of our Live Better icon, which signposts customers to the healthiest options.
Nesta
In 2024 we continued our partnership with the charity Nesta, an independent research organisation, who aims to help people live longer, healthier lives by halving the number of people with obesity in the UK. Nesta aims to halve obesity by 2030 through strategies like calorie reduction and promoting healthier food choices in retail. Together, we are launching a series of store trial interventions to encourage healthier eating habits. These will focus on three key categories – produce, snacking and frozen and will test changes across space allocation, promotional areas, signage, and price incentives. These trials reflect Asda’s ongoing commitment to supporting healthier choices and addressing health inequalities through evidence-based initiatives.
The trials began in May 2025, with findings to be published upon completion of the analysis.
Using the Government’s Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), we have set out our ambition to improve the average sales weighted* health score of the food we sell, both branded and own-brand, year on year. In the NPM, points are allocated based on a product’s negative nutrients i.e. energy, saturated fat, sugar and salt and deducted for positive nutrients i.e. fibre, protein and % fruit, veg & nuts.
The lower the score, the healthier the product with products deemed ‘unhealthy’ (HFSS**) scoring above 1 (for drinks) or 4 (for food).
* Our Health Score is defined not only by the type of products we sell but also quantities sold (sales weighted) of said products. If we sell predominantly healthy products our business health score would be lower.
** High fat, salt and sugar
Impact of HFSS legislation on consumer behaviour
In 2022, High Fat, Sugar, and Salt (HFSS) legislation was introduced to limit the promotion of less healthy foods in-store and online. Asda, along with other UK supermarkets, in collaboration with the Leeds Institute of Data Analytics (LIDA) at the University of Leeds, is assessing the impact of these location-based restrictions on consumer behaviour* . The first stage of the study found that there has been limited impact on shopping habits due to lower consumer awareness and deeply ingrained purchasing habits, but that affordability of healthier options remains a priority for customers. The full analysis, incorporating additional data from Asda, is expected to conclude in 2025.
*Number of shoppers surveyed = 1968
Live Better Icon
The Live Better icon was created to make healthy eating simple and for customers to see at a glance the healthiest choices across all Asda brands and ranges.
It is awarded to products that meet the below criteria:
• be non-high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) in accordance with the UK’s 2004-2005 Nutrient Profiling Model
• have a defined nutritional benefit, as listed on the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register*
• no red traffic lights (unless entirely driven by fruits, vegetables, nuts or oily fish)
• meet our nutritionists’ category specific criteria e.g., bread must be high in fibre.
Live Better products are aligned to The Eatwell Guide** which supports more sustainable eating patterns.
*A health claim is any statement about a relationship between food and health.
**The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet
DID YOU KNOW?
Product Innovation
Feeding the nation means meeting the requirements of a range of diets and our chefs are continually developing new ranges to suit.
Our Plant Based range, which is accredited by The Vegan Society, offers customers healthy, sustainable choices that are suitable for vegans.