Nesta and Asda retail innovation partnership
Think tank: Nesta
Author(s): Parita Doshi; Björn Rust
June 9, 2026
This report from Nesta indicates that improving the nation’s health requires reshaping the environments where most food is purchased.
Nesta partnered with Asda to improve the UK’s food environment by setting a target health score based on sales-weighted nutrient profiling, running trials on positioning, messaging, merchandising, and incentives, which showed promising impacts without harming sales.
Key enablers include integrating health into routine decisions, measurement, colleague engagement, and supplier collaboration, supporting future industry-wide health improvements.
