The UK government published its 10-Year Health Plan on Thursday, setting out its ambitions to reform the health system and shift the focus from sickness to prevention.

As a cancer prevention charity with a vision of a world where no one dies from a preventable cancer, we welcome the Plan’s direction but there are many key areas of health policy where it simply falls short of what the public needs.

Positive inclusions

Many of the commitments in the Plan had already been announced and were warmly received, such as the expansions of free school meals and the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

Encouragingly, the Plan also includes new mandatory measures that mark a meaningful step towards creating healthier environments for all.

These include:

• Mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector
• A new mandatory Healthy Food Standard to improve the healthiness of sales
• Updates to the Nutrient Profile Model, used to set marketing restrictions on junk food
•  A 10% uplift to restore the value of the Healthy Start scheme from 2026 to 2027
• Mandatory labelling on alcoholic drinks to include consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.
• A place-based approach to physical activity, including £250m for 100 places via Sport England, at least £400m for local community sports facilities, and new school sport partnerships
• A national walking and running campaign led by Sir Brendan Foster
• The development of a new physical activity strategy

These measures are welcome steps forward in improving our food and drink environment and enabling people to be more physically active.

We hope the forthcoming Food Strategy will drive deeper systemic changes to ensure affordable, accessible healthy food for everyone in England.

Critical missed opportunities

On alcohol, the Plan falls short of prioritising the range of evidence-based policies proven to reduce alcohol consumption that causes around 17,000 UK cancer diagnoses each year.

Notably, it fails to include minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England, despite its success in reducing alcohol-related deaths in Scotland and Wales. Worryingly, England continues to lag the devolved nations on this crucial policy.

The Plan also makes no mention of strengthening marketing restrictions on alcohol, which enables industry to continue to normalise drinking as an aspirational lifestyle choice.

Given the rising number of alcohol-related deaths each year, we are urging the UK government to urgently deliver a National Alcohol Strategy for England. As outlined in our recent letter to the Prime Minister during Cancer Prevention Action Week, we continue to call for bold action on alcohol-related cancer.

Equally disappointing is the absence of action to strengthen protections and support for breastfeeding and infant feeding. There are no new mandatory, independently enforced regulations on the composition, marketing and labelling of baby and toddler foods. This is a missed opportunity, particularly in light of the UK government’s stated goal to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.

We will continue to urge the government to adopt the recommendations of the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study on infant and follow-on formula.

Turning Ambitions into Action

This Plan arrives as Labour marks its first year in government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer. This government now has the opportunity – and responsibility – to turn its prevention agenda into lasting structural change that improves the nation’s health.

The upcoming National Cancer Plan for England presents a further chance to address modifiable risk factors and fill the gaps left by the 10-Year Health Plan.

We welcome the Prime Minister’s willingness to challenge accusations of ‘nanny statism’ and urge the government to ensure all health strategies are protected from undue industry influence.

We want prevention to be the foundation of all health strategies. We stand ready to bring our scientific and policy expertise to the table – and we’re calling on the UK government to work with us to turn bold ambition into real change, helping millions live longer, cancer-free lives.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the UK Women’s Cohort Study, the initial funding for which came from World Cancer Research Fund. Since its inception, this research – based at the University of Leeds – has grown into one of the largest and longest-running studies of diet and health in the UK. It continues to make a significant impact and serves as a foundation for ongoing research to this day.

The study was set up by Prof Janet Cade, who still works at University of Leeds. We’re looking forward to celebrating the study and its impact with her at a special event on Thursday 3 July 2025. We’d love to hear from any of the 35,000 women who were involved in this study, and would like to celebrate with us, Prof Cade and the team at Leeds.

Documents from the UK Women’s Cohort Study

Get involved

If you were part of the cohort, do contact Michael Clark on 020 7343 4205 or e-mail m.clark@wcrf.org to share your story or to be part of the celebrations.

Seed oils are made by extracting oil from the seeds of various plants, such as:

• Sunflower
• Rapeseed (also known as canola oil)
• Sesame
• Grape
• Flax
• Soybean
• Safflower

These oils are versatile and many are budget-friendly choices in the kitchen. Most have a neutral flavour and a high smoke point, which means they can handle high cooking temperatures – like when you’re frying or roasting – without breaking down or producing unpleasant flavours or potentially harmful compounds. This makes them a safer and more reliable option for everyday cooking.

A particular benefit of seed oils is that they are high in unsaturated fat – the type we should eat more of – and low in saturated fat, which we should eat less of. This makes them a healthier alternative to animal fats like butter and ghee.

Importantly, seed oils provide essential omega-6 fats, which our bodies can’t make so we need them from our diet. These fats support healthy skin, and help build and maintain our cells.

Seed oils and inflammation

You may have seen claims that seed oils cause inflammation. This is mainly because they contain an omega-6 fat called linoleic acid, which can be converted in small amounts into another fat called arachidonic acid – a compound involved in the body’s inflammatory response.

Some people worry that eating too much omega-6 could compete with omega-3 fats, which support heart and brain health, and have anti-inflammatory properties. The concern is that both fats share some pathways in the body, so too much omega-6 may reduce the impact of omega-3s and promote inflammation.

But research doesn’t support this idea. In fact, studies show that people who eat more linoleic acid – the type found in seed oils – often have lower levels of inflammatory markers in the body. Instead of cutting back on omega-6, it’s more important to focus on getting enough omega-3s in your diet by eating oily fish (like salmon), green leafy vegetables (like brussels sprouts) and nuts (like walnuts).

What about cancer risk?

When it comes to cancer, there’s no strong evidence to show that seed oils increase risk. What matters most is your overall diet – we recommend you eat a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, nuts, seeds and lean proteins like fish and chicken to support your long-term health and reduce cancer risk.

Seed oils in processed foods

Seed oils can be found in ultra-processed products like:

• shop-bought salad dressings
• mayonnaise
• cakes
• biscuits
• crisps
• sweet and savoury pastries

These foods are typically high in salt and sugar, and low in fibre, vitamins and minerals – not ideal for our health.

In fast food restaurants, oils may be reheated multiple times at very high temperatures, which can produce potentially harmful compounds. Most of us don’t cook like that at home.

But it’s important to remember – seed oils themselves aren’t the problem. The real issue is the overall quality of the processed foods that contain them. It’s these foods that are linked to a higher risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

That’s why one of our Cancer Prevention Recommendations is to limit fast food and processed foods that are high in saturated fat, salt and sugar.

So, should I avoid seed oils?

Not at all – and there’s no need to fear them. Seed oils can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. They’re low in saturated fat, provide essential omega-6 fats and offer useful nutrients like vitamins E and K, which support immune health and normal blood clotting.

As with all fats, it’s about using them wisely. They’re high in calories, so stick to small amounts – a teaspoon or a light spray is often all you need. Seed oils are versatile in the kitchen, perfect for roasting, stir-fries, baking, homemade salad dressings or as a healthier alternative to butter or ghee.

• Report provides further clarity on dietary and lifestyle pattern (DLP) recommendations for breast and colorectal cancer prevention following a comprehensive review of 170 global studies
• Adopting a healthy DLP could also have important environmental and societal benefits, say report authors, and more can be done by policymakers to support adopting a healthy, cancer preventative DLP adoption globally

World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) International has released a major new report on DLPs and their role in cancer prevention – out today (9 April 2025).

Today’s report emphasises that studying DLPs together, rather than looking at single foods or behaviours, can help researchers and the public to better understand how all these factors together play a role in reducing cancer risk.

An independent panel of experts reviewed the available global evidence on dietary and lifestyle patterns and breast and colorectal cancer. The evidence – which was judged to be strongly associated with cancer risk – was used to develop our new recommendation of a cancer preventative DLP.

The term “plant-based diets” has become popular in recent years. These types of diets, which are traditional for some parts of the world (eg in Asia and the Mediterranean region), are rich in vegetables and fruits, plant oils (mainly olive oil), and fish, but consumption of meat and dairy products is traditionally low. Numerous studies have shown that these types of diets are beneficial for human health.

On the other hand, diets of affluent western societies have changed significantly during the past 60 years towards a diet that is rich in meat, refined carbohydrates, sugar, and saturated fats. This type of diet is not only associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and several types of cancer, but it also has a strong impact on our planet’s climate.

Production of animal products such as meat and dairy needs more energy than the production of plant products, hence, by reducing our consumption of animal products, we can save significant amounts of energy. For example, in Switzerland, about 30% of environmental impacts are due to food production, transportation and consumption (PDF).

An international group of nutrition scientists has proposed a diet that meets most nutrition requirements, while simultaneously taking sustainability and planetary health into account. This diet is often called the “EAT-Lancet Reference Diet” or “Planetary Health Diet”. It’s mainly plant-based, meaning that carbohydrates come from whole grains, proteins are mainly from legumes (such as beans, lentils, peas, but also soy food and peanuts), and fats are mostly unsaturated plant oils. Animal products are not forbidden, but their consumption is recommended to be limited.

Our research group at the University of Zurich, in collaboration with colleagues from other universities, was interested as to whether this type of diet, which is thought to reduce the damaging impact of food on our environment, also has beneficial effects on our health, particularly regarding the risk of cancer.

To try to answer our question, we needed a dataset in which the food consumption of the participants was assessed, but in which participants were also followed up for a number of years so that we could know how many of them were diagnosed with cancer. The UK Biobank is a large cohort in the UK that includes more than half a million people. Using data from this large cohort, we have examined how closely people were following the recommendations of the EAT-Lancet Reference Diet in 2005–07, and how many of them had been diagnosed with cancer until 2019.

Sustainability lowers cancer risk, too

When we compared those participants whose diet was closest to the EAT-Lancet Reference Diet with those who ate a less sustainable diet, we saw that an environmentally friendly diet was indeed associated with a lower risk of cancer. Better adherence was linked to a 10% lower cancer risk. However, we did not see a particularly strong protective effect for a specific type of cancer.

The results of our study are consistent with those of other groups trying to answer the same research question using different data sets. This strengthens our conclusions that a planet-healthy, plant-based diet can promote health.

In fact, plants are excellent sources of most of the essential vitamins and minerals in our diet. When a plant-based diet is balanced, products of animal origin are only needed in moderation to provide us with the few essential vitamins that cannot be found in plant sources (eg vitamin B12).

Greater focus should be given to exploring different plant-based foods, as well as on how to prepare plant foods – in particular legumes – so that more people are able to cook and enjoy these types of foods. Consumers, researchers and cooks need to team up to develop climate-friendly recipes. In Switzerland, we have published the first cookbook that only contains climate-friendly recipes. And recently World Cancer Research Fund developed Budget-friendly recipes: Good for you, good for the planet.

• Dr Nena Karavasiloglou, a researcher, was formerly a Postdoc at the University of Zurich. Prof Sabine Rohrmann is at the University of Zurich. Read more about their grant funded by World Cancer Research Fund, including papers published from this grant.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that, by 2050, the world will see 35 million new cancer cases each year, up by 15 million annual cases in 2022. Yet with the right policies to prevent cancer, 14 million of those people could avoid their diagnosis. These policies would need to address a variety of factors, including tobacco, alcohol, overweight and obesity, breastfeeding and unhealthy diet.

Cancer places increasing burden on society

As the cancer burden increases, the strain on our health systems, economies and families becomes harder to meet. Unhealthy weight – just one risk factor – is projected to cost the global economy more than $4 trillion a year by 2035. Our food systems make eating a healthier diet harder. High production and consumption of red and processed meat, and low consumption of wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and beans, plays a role in increased cancer risk and the risk of other diseases such as diabetes. This misalignment also contributes to unhealthy natural environments, as diet-related greenhouse gas emissions are significant contributors to global warming. Most of these are related to production of animal-based foods. This is why prevention is the only sustainable way forward – with resilient populations and food systems working together for public health.

Prevention the sustainable way forward

We believe that prevention must be prioritised and is the only sustainable way forward. We also need to better explain:

1. The science around cancer risk and diets, weight, breastfeeding, physical activity, and alcohol – as summarised in our Cancer Prevention Recommendations.
2. Which policies should be prioritised to shape healthier environments that minimise these cancer risks for populations.
3. How cancer prevention policy can have positive cascading effects for our health, but also for our health systems, our societies and our shared natural environment.

Cancer prevention policies can have ripple effect

We also know that cancer prevention policies can touch on and improve other areas beyond health. For example, diets high in red and processed meat increase people’s risk of colorectal cancer, and that healthier diets made up of more wholegrains, fruit and vegetables can protect people from the same type of cancer. This is why our Cancer Prevention Recommendations say people should limit red and processed meat, and eat a diet rich in wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and beansAt the same time, if our food systems produced less red and processed meat, and animal- food in general, and instead moved towards producing plant-based foods, this would have a significant impact in lowering diet-related CO2 emissions. Policymakers need to make sense of these connections, and our guidance shows what they need to do to promote such positive cycles – or co-benefits.

Why we created the Blueprint

Our well-established Cancer Prevention Recommendations cover 10 ways in which individuals can minimise their risk of preventable cancers. A growing body of evidence is showing that adherence to these Recommendations is associated with lower risk of developing cancer and other NCDs, but also lower risk of dying from cancer.

However, the Recommendations have not – until now – been presented alongside population-level policy advice. We need to promote an integrated approach to preventing cancer, otherwise policymakers may risk formulating repetitive but disconnected policy strategies across these areas that do not speak to or build on each other. For example, marketing restrictions can be a useful tool to encourage healthy diets but are also relevant for promoting breastfeeding and limiting alcohol consumption. Even though the targeted products are different, there are lessons to be learned from policy efforts across different cancer risk factors.

By joining the dots in these different areas, we can create greater awareness of how different policy approaches can contribute to cancer prevention. Our new blueprint makes a compelling case for action, especially for prevention to be included in national cancer plans. The blueprint also reinforces the need for a whole-of-government approach that puts public health goals before commercial interests.

What’s inside the Blueprint?

The Blueprint is accompanied by factsheets on specific cancer risk factors.

Our policy blueprint makes the case for population-level policy action and focuses on 5 factors: diet, weight, breastfeeding, physical activity and alcohol – in line with our Cancer Prevention Recommendations. We also look at how these factors can support people living with and beyond cancer

Our blueprint is an essential, evidence-based guide for policymakers and advocates, pulling together tools and resources to provide a comprehensive resource on cancer prevention. It pulls together existing tools and resources to support efforts on cancer prevention, including key guidance for World Health Organization, but also our existing NOURISHING nutrition and MOVING physical activity policy frameworks. All this information is distilled in a package of resources:

• An outline of 8 policy areas – including marketing restrictions, fiscal and legal, procurement, planning and incentives in communities– and how they apply to diet, weight, breastfeeding and physical activity.
• 10 factsheets with in-depth technical detail on how to roll out each Recommendation at population level.
• An exploration of the co-benefits of cancer prevention policy: addressing health inequities; meeting climate and sustainability targets; addressing commercial determinants of health; and fulfilling human rights.
• 7 strategies to help policymakers take action.

The goal of these resources is to strengthen understanding of how environment shapes cancer risk, and what policymakers can do about it.

How it was developed

To develop these resources, we built on our policy work, we reviewed existing key policy documents, and asked experts in the science and policy of cancer prevention, as well as lawyers, advocates for non-communicable disease prevention or breastfeeding what is most important in their respective areas. We then brought all the main elements together.

What’s next?

The Policy blueprint for cancer prevention will now be a centrepiece of our conversations with policymakers going forward – from Member States at the World Health Organization to the UN High-Level Meeting on Non-communicable diseases.

We invite you all to get involved: download the blueprint, share it, and use it in your work.

> Download it now

> Download our factsheets and other policy tools in our resource library

> To give us feedback and share how you want to use the blueprint, write to policy@wcrf.org

At World Cancer Research Fund, our mission is to live in a world where no one dies from a preventable cancer, so of course they’re all designed to help you live a healthier, happier cancer free life!

25 things for 2025

1. Drink more water!

The human body comprises around 60% water, so drinking enough water will help improve your physical performance and increase your energy levels.

2. Eat more beans, legumes and pulses

They’re a great source of protein, iron and fibre, they’re much cheaper than meat and good for the climate.