Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of nutrition labelling in reducing obesity; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has not made any recent assessment of the effectiveness of nutrition labelling in reducing obesity.

However, a wealth of international evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of nutrition labelling in helping consumers make healthier choices. The purpose of mandatory nutrition labelling, which the United Kingdom supported in European Union legislation, is to ensure consumers have the information they need to make healthier choices. Healthier choices reduce intakes of saturated fats, sugars and salt, all factors in diseases related to obesity.

The Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action, launched in August, includes an intention to review additional opportunities to help consumers better understand which sugars in their diet they should be reducing.