Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria are used to determine what food choices qualify NHS Food Scanner app users for a Good Choice badge.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The primary function of the NHS Food Scanner app is to show how much sugar, saturated fat, and salt is in the everyday food and drink consumed by families in England. The app helps families see what's in their food and drinks and gives choices of products that can help them cut down on sugar, saturated fat, and salt, including alternatives to family favourites such as biscuits, crisps, and fizzy drinks.
For a food or drink to be eligible for a Good Choice badge they must comply with robust criteria covering 54 food and drink categories. Each category includes relevant nutrient cut off points based on front of pack labelling criteria for saturated fat, sugar, and salt, and takes account of the total calories and the Government’s food and drink reduction and reformation programme. A copy of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Good Choice badge guidelines is attached.
Diets high in ultra-processed foods are also high in calories, sugar, saturated fat, and salt. The app does not include levels of processing or additives when assessing the eligibility of a food or drink for a Good Choice badge. It is unclear whether ultra-processed foods are unhealthy due to processing or because a large majority of processed foods are high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and/or salt, and are low in fibre. All additives used in the United Kingdom undergo a rigorous safety assessment before they can be used in food and drink.
The app is undergoing further updates to ensure it also contains information for consumers on artificial sweeteners, and links to further advice and support on healthy eating for families is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/
Data collected from the NHS Food Scanner app is not shared with third parties.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of awarding Good choice endorsements to (a) artificially sweetened drinks, (b) energy drinks and (c) highly processed snacks on children's health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The primary function of the NHS Food Scanner app is to show how much sugar, saturated fat, and salt is in the everyday food and drink consumed by families in England. The app helps families see what's in their food and drinks and gives choices of products that can help them cut down on sugar, saturated fat, and salt, including alternatives to family favourites such as biscuits, crisps, and fizzy drinks.
For a food or drink to be eligible for a Good Choice badge they must comply with robust criteria covering 54 food and drink categories. Each category includes relevant nutrient cut off points based on front of pack labelling criteria for saturated fat, sugar, and salt, and takes account of the total calories and the Government’s food and drink reduction and reformation programme. A copy of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Good Choice badge guidelines is attached.
Diets high in ultra-processed foods are also high in calories, sugar, saturated fat, and salt. The app does not include levels of processing or additives when assessing the eligibility of a food or drink for a Good Choice badge. It is unclear whether ultra-processed foods are unhealthy due to processing or because a large majority of processed foods are high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and/or salt, and are low in fibre. All additives used in the United Kingdom undergo a rigorous safety assessment before they can be used in food and drink.
The app is undergoing further updates to ensure it also contains information for consumers on artificial sweeteners, and links to further advice and support on healthy eating for families is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/
Data collected from the NHS Food Scanner app is not shared with third parties.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether data collected from the NHS Food Scanner app is shared with third parties.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The primary function of the NHS Food Scanner app is to show how much sugar, saturated fat, and salt is in the everyday food and drink consumed by families in England. The app helps families see what's in their food and drinks and gives choices of products that can help them cut down on sugar, saturated fat, and salt, including alternatives to family favourites such as biscuits, crisps, and fizzy drinks.
For a food or drink to be eligible for a Good Choice badge they must comply with robust criteria covering 54 food and drink categories. Each category includes relevant nutrient cut off points based on front of pack labelling criteria for saturated fat, sugar, and salt, and takes account of the total calories and the Government’s food and drink reduction and reformation programme. A copy of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Good Choice badge guidelines is attached.
Diets high in ultra-processed foods are also high in calories, sugar, saturated fat, and salt. The app does not include levels of processing or additives when assessing the eligibility of a food or drink for a Good Choice badge. It is unclear whether ultra-processed foods are unhealthy due to processing or because a large majority of processed foods are high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and/or salt, and are low in fibre. All additives used in the United Kingdom undergo a rigorous safety assessment before they can be used in food and drink.
The app is undergoing further updates to ensure it also contains information for consumers on artificial sweeteners, and links to further advice and support on healthy eating for families is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/
Data collected from the NHS Food Scanner app is not shared with third parties.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the evidence base underpinning the Good Choice badge criteria in the NHS Food Scanner app.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has a series of digital tools to support adults and families to eat better and move more, including the food scanner app and the National Health Service weight loss plan app, email programmes, and websites. These tools are evidence-based and regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with current Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition guidance, including recommendations on non-sugar sweeteners and ultra-processed foods. Updates are ongoing to reflect the latest Government advice.
We are always looking to improve the app experience, including extending and personalising messaging, and we welcome feedback from parents as well as organisations to aid us in this process.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) the NHS Food Scanner app and (b) other NHS-endorsed public health tools align with Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition advice on (i) non-sugar sweeteners and (ii) ultra-processed foods.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has a series of digital tools to support adults and families to eat better and move more, including the food scanner app and the National Health Service weight loss plan app, email programmes, and websites. These tools are evidence-based and regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with current Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition guidance, including recommendations on non-sugar sweeteners and ultra-processed foods. Updates are ongoing to reflect the latest Government advice.
We are always looking to improve the app experience, including extending and personalising messaging, and we welcome feedback from parents as well as organisations to aid us in this process.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to set a clear timetable for confirming and implementing the final proposals arising from the NHS dental contract quality and payment reforms 2026 consultation; and if he will publish a deadline by which (a) NHS dental professionals, (b) commissioners and (c) patients can expect both the Department’s response and the commencement of the resulting reforms.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, National Health Service dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August.
The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course, with the expectation of implementing the reforms from April 2026.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to respond to feedback provided in its consultation on NHS dentistry contract: quality and payment reform, published 8 July 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reform the units of dental activity system before the proposed full contract reform in 2026-27.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to fully reform the units of dental activity (UDA) system before 2026/27. As a first step to reforming the dental contract, we are consulting on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, National Health Service dentistry, which will deliver improved care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The reforms include new payment proposals for some treatments, which would be converted to UDAs for the purposes of reconciliation. Further information on the consultation is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms
The consultation was launched on 8 July 2025 and will close on 19 August 2025.
We are committed to more fundamental contract reform, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. We want a contract that matches resources to needs, improves access, promotes prevention, and rewards dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. There are no perfect payment models, and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women in Wiltshire accessed perinatal mental health services in each of the last five years; and what the average waiting time was for an initial assessment in each year.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on the number of women accessing perinatal mental health services in Wiltshire, provided by the NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, and Wiltshire Health and Care over the last five years to May 2025, is available at the following link:
NHS England has advised that the average time between referral and assessment for patients using the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire specialist community perinatal mental health team was as follows:
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of long-term exposure to PFAS in drinking water on public health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
An evaluation of the evidence on polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) toxicity is ongoing through the Committee on Toxicity.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has contributed to an expert advisory group recommendation to the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) on the introduction of a regulatory limit of 0.1 micrograms per litre for the sum of 48 individual PFAS to protect public health. The Advisory Group Recommendations are available at the following link:
This is in line with the recent DWI March 2025 Guidance. This will limit exposures through drinking water, and thus any potential impact. The Guidance is available at the following link: