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Written question asked by Andrew Snowden (Conservative) on Monday, 6 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 9 July 2026 (named day). It was answered by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Thursday, 9 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Confectionery

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed 2018 Nutrient Profiling Model on manufacturers of confectionery and sweet-packaged foods.

Answer

The new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) is built on the latest science and has been updated in line with the latest dietary advice, particularly in relation to free sugars, which are more strongly correlated with poor health outcomes, including obesity.

The Government committed in the 10-Year Health Plan to updating the standards behind the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink by applying the new NPM. Applying the new NPM to these policies is expected to reduce a further 110,000 cases of childhood obesity.

The NPM is used as part of a two-step process to determine ‘less healthy’ food or drink products in scope of the advertising and promotions restrictions. Products must first fall within one of the product categories in the legislation and second, score four or above for food, or one or above for drink in an NPM assessment. Confectionery, including chocolates and sweets, are one of the categories in scope of the restrictions.

We published the new NPM on 27 January 2026. On 25 March 2026, we launched a 12-week consultation seeking views on its proposed application to the advertising and promotions restrictions. The consultation closed on 17 June 2026. Alongside the consultation, we published a consultation-stage impact assessment, setting out the direct costs to businesses for the proposed application of the new NPM to these restrictions and invited views on this assessment.

We have engaged extensively with stakeholders throughout the consultation period and sought further evidence on the potential impacts of the proposals as part of the consultation process. We will use evidence from the consultation and our extensive engagement with stakeholders to inform final policy decisions and the final impact assessment, which will be published ahead of any legislative changes being made.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
16136
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Confectionery Labelling Nutrition
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk