UK supermarket chain Tesco has decided to increase the sales of healthy products as a proportion of total sales by 2025 after reports emerged that the obesity problem in the country has worsened during the pandemic.

Under its new plans, the retailer aims to increase the proportion of the total sales of healthy food to 65% by 2025 from the current 58%.

The company will introduce a major ‘reformulation programme’ to improve the health profile of products and make changes to promotions and pricing to remove barriers to buying healthy food.

It also plans to increase the sale of plant-based range at its supermarkets between now and 2025 by 300%.

As part of its reformulation programme, the company intends to remove billions of calories and thousands of tonnes of salt, fat and sugar from its food products.

Tesco claims that it has removed more than 50 billion calories from its products since 2018.

Tesco Group CEO Ken Murphy said: “Customers are telling us they want to eat a more healthy, sustainable diet, but without having to stretch the weekly shopping budget. By making even very small changes to the items they put in their basket week-in, week-out, we can help them make that change.

“We’ve worked hard to help our customers eat healthily and we’re proud of our track record, and it’s clear we can do more. Today, we are sharing our stretching new ambitions on health and committing to reporting our progress against them.”

Tesco said that it will define products, which meet the criteria by using the UK Government’s nutrient profiling model.

The Food Foundation executive director Anna Taylor said: “Tesco sets out some great commitments today. They should be proud of the speed at which they have added more veg to the ready meal category as part of their commitment to Peas Please.

“I hope other retailers are taking note! Shoppers really need supermarkets to make it easier for them to eat healthily and sustainably. Today’s announcements show Tesco is up for the challenge.”

The move is said to be in response to the demand made by a consortium of investors, led by responsible investment firm NGO ShareAction.