Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour) on Monday, 13 June 2022, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 June 2022. It was answered by Lord Kamall (Conservative) on Tuesday, 21 June 2022 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Food: Regulation

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations regarding the proposed reduction of (1) salt, and (2) sugar, in food in England.

Answer

The voluntary reduction and reformulation programmes challenge all sectors of the food and drinks industry, including retailers, manufacturers and eating out of home sector such as cafes, takeaways and delivery firms, to reduce the amount of sugar and salt in foods and drinks.

The sugar reduction programme aimed to reduce the amount of sugar in foods which contribute the most to children’s  intake by 20% by 2020. While there has been mixed progress in decreasing the sugar content of foods, retailers and manufacturers demonstrated greater achievements in sugar reduction in unsweetened juice and sweetened milk based drinks. Monitoring the sugar content of drinks in scope of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy shown that substantial reductions have been achieved. The fourth progress report on sugar reduction is expected in 2022. An assessment of salt reduction targets to be achieved by 2024 is expected in 2022. Officials maintain regular contact with the devolved administrations on the salt and sugar reduction programmes.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL915
Session
2022-23
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Devolution Food Nutrition Regulation
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk