Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on businesses of the policies proposed in the paper Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We carefully consider all views and potential impacts of our measures to reduce obesity. This includes ongoing engagement and feedback from a wide range of experts and stakeholders, including those from the food and drink manufacturing sector on specific policy proposals and in response to our public consultations. Introducing legislation across the market will ensure that a level playing field is created within the retail sector as well as across the wider food industry.
We have conducted two consultations on introducing further advertising restrictions for products that are high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS). We have considered the impact any restrictions will have on industry in terms of lost revenue and any business sectors that will see greater impacts. This has been balanced against the impact advertising of HFSS food and drink has on children’s consumption, preferences and ultimately their weight. We have kept these, along with other factors, in mind whist we develop our final policy position. More detail on any steps taken to protect industry will be outlined in our consultation response, due to be published later this year.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken steps to protect (a) businesses and (b) jobs in the food and drink manufacturing industry from the potential effect of restrictions on the advertising, promotion and placement of products that are high in fat, salt and sugar.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We carefully consider all views and potential impacts of our measures to reduce obesity. This includes ongoing engagement and feedback from a wide range of experts and stakeholders, including those from the food and drink manufacturing sector on specific policy proposals and in response to our public consultations. Introducing legislation across the market will ensure that a level playing field is created within the retail sector as well as across the wider food industry.
We have conducted two consultations on introducing further advertising restrictions for products that are high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS). We have considered the impact any restrictions will have on industry in terms of lost revenue and any business sectors that will see greater impacts. This has been balanced against the impact advertising of HFSS food and drink has on children’s consumption, preferences and ultimately their weight. We have kept these, along with other factors, in mind whist we develop our final policy position. More detail on any steps taken to protect industry will be outlined in our consultation response, due to be published later this year.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2021 to Question 153180 on Food: Marketing, whether he has plans to introduce new incentives for food and drink manufacturers to continue to reformulate products that are high in fat, salt and sugar.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Incentives already exist for businesses to reformulate their products including reformulating to achieve the Nutrient Profiling Model threshold to become out of scope of the promotion restrictions, meeting Public Health England's reformulation programme guidelines, consumer demand for healthier products and the possibility of making nutrition claims.
As outlined in the ‘Restricting location promotions of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products: impact assessment’, there would be non-monetised health benefits from manufacturers reformulating their HFSS products providing a reduction in fat, salt and sugar in products. In addition, preventing obesity related ill health will also result in a healthier workforce, which is likely to be more productive. The final impact assessments on the proposals to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar by location and by volume are available at the following link:
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2021 to Question 153180 on Food: Marketing, what assessment has been made of the potential effect of policies in the Government’s strategy, entitled Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives, on the ability of food and drink manufacturers to promote reformulated products.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Incentives already exist for businesses to reformulate their products including reformulating to achieve the Nutrient Profiling Model threshold to become out of scope of the promotion restrictions, meeting Public Health England's reformulation programme guidelines, consumer demand for healthier products and the possibility of making nutrition claims.
As outlined in the ‘Restricting location promotions of high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products: impact assessment’, there would be non-monetised health benefits from manufacturers reformulating their HFSS products providing a reduction in fat, salt and sugar in products. In addition, preventing obesity related ill health will also result in a healthier workforce, which is likely to be more productive. The final impact assessments on the proposals to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar by location and by volume are available at the following link:
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has has with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on incentivising food and drink manufacturers to reduce the (a) fat, (b) salt and (c) sugar content of their products.
Answered by Jo Churchill
My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on improving the health and wellbeing of the nation including on measures set out in our healthy weight strategy and the Food Strategy White Paper.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that new regulations proposed by his Department on the promotion of foods that are high in fat, sugar or salt (HSFF) do not place different competitive advantages on (a) large and (b) SME manufacturers of those products.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We carefully consider all views and potential impacts of our measures to reduce obesity. This includes feedback from a wide range of experts and stakeholders on specific policy proposals and in response to our public consultations.
The final impact assessments on the proposals to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar by location and by volume is available at the following link:
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the proposed ban on advertising online food and drink high in salt, fat and sugar, whether products designated as high in fat, salt or sugar will be re-categorised if the fat, salt and sugar content is reduced.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The current proposal for what food and drink is classed as in scope of further advertising restrictions online and on TV, is to use the categories originally put forward by Public Health England (PHE) as part of the calorie reduction programme, sugar reduction programme and the soft drinks industry levy overlaying this with the 2004/05 Nutrient Profiling Model. Officials are considering the final list put forward by PHE as well as views fed in as part of the consultation process to come to a final decision on what products are in scope and will publish our full response to the consultation shortly.
The Nutrient Profiling Model uses a simple scoring system where points allocated for ‘C’ nutrients (fruit, vegetables and nut content, fibre and protein) are subtracted from ‘A’ nutrients (energy, saturated fat, total sugar and sodium). Foods scoring four or more points, and drinks scoring one or more points, are classified as ‘less healthy’ and will be subject to the restrictions.
Products that are reformulated and achieve the Nutrient Profiling Model threshold will be out of scope of the restrictions and therefore able to advertise.