Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of (a) the potential impact of proposed changes to the Nutrient Profiling Model on manufacturers’ investment in product reformulation and innovation and (b) of the adequacy of the proposed 12-month implementation period for the 2018 Nutrient Profiling Model, including the time required by manufacturers for reformulation, product testing and associated investment.

Initial assessments of the impact of the existing restrictions on the advertising and promotion of less healthy food and drink products were included in the consultation published in March. The consultation exercise also invited stakeholders to contribute their own views and evidence on the impact of the existing restrictions to help inform any decision to apply the new Nutrient Profiling Model to them. The Government is carefully considering the responses to that consultation prior to taking any decisions on next steps.