Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to prevent an increase in the sugar content of food and drink products after the EU sugar quotas are lifted in 2017.

As set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan, published in August 2016, Public Health England is working with all parts of the food industry to encourage businesses to remove 20% of sugar from the nine categories of foods that contribute most to children’s diets by 2020 with an initial 5% reduction by August 2017. Progress will be regularly and transparently monitored.

The removal of European Union sugar beet quotas will allow British growers to move towards competing on a level playing field with other sugar producers around the world.