Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of diets high in ultra-processed foods on the health of children under five.

United Kingdom dietary recommendations are based on robust independent risk assessments by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). In 2023, the SACN reviewed the scientific basis of UK recommendations in its report Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years.

The SACN also reviewed the evidence on processed foods and health in its 2023 and 2025 position statements, as well as non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) in a position statement published in 2025.

The SACN has made a number of recommendations for children in relation to the consumption of processed foods and drinks, for instance:

• formula milks are not required by children aged one to five years old;
• foods, including snacks, that are energy dense and high in saturated fat, salt, or sugars should be limited in children aged one to five years old, in line with current UK dietary recommendations;
• commercially manufactured foods and drinks marketed specifically for infants and young children are not needed to meet nutrition requirements; and
• giving children drinks and food sweetened with sugar or NSS should be avoided, and they should instead be given unsweetened food.

The SACN has concluded that on balance, most people are likely to benefit from reducing their consumption of processed foods which are high in energy, saturated fat, salt, and free sugars, and which are and low in fibre. This is based on the nutrient content of many ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and concerns raised in relation to health.

The SACN’s recommendations align with our existing policies for supporting healthier diets and our advice to consumers. The SACN will continue to keep the topic under review.

Government dietary advice, as depicted in the Eatwell Guide, already shows that people should eat more fruit and vegetables and wholegrain or higher-fibre foods, as well as less processed meat and processed foods and drinks high in calories, sugar, saturated fat, and salt. For most people, following this advice would lead to a reduced consumption of UPFs.

The terms ‘whole’ and ‘minimally processed’ are not used in Government dietary recommendations because they are difficult to define and could be interpreted as including foods that we advise to eat less often and/or in small amounts, such as butter.

Further research is required to determine whether the processing itself, rather than the poor nutrient content of foods, has an impact on health, before any significant updates are made to the Eatwell Guide.