Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of why their target for sugar reduction in food and drink has not been met.

Assessments have been made of why the overall 20% reduction ambition for the voluntary sugar reduction programme has not been delivered. The progress monitoring for retailers and manufacturers for the sugar reduction programme, which is what is being referred to, uses sales weighted averages. These are calculated by weighting mean sugar levels by total volume sales. This gives more weight to products with higher volume sales.

Between 2015 and 2020, good levels of reduction were seen in sales weighted average sugar levels in some categories included in the programme for retailers and manufacturers, including reductions of approximately 15% in breakfast cereals, 13.5% in yogurt and fromage frais, and 7.2% in ice creams, lollies and sorbets.

However, increases were seen in the volume sales of higher sugar products included in the programme, for retailers and manufacturers between 2015 and 2020, including a 32% increase in sweet spreads and sauces and a 27.8% increase in chocolate confectionery. When calculating the overall, sales weighted average sugar reduction figure of 3.5%, these increase in sales negate the reductions made in breakfast cereals and other categories included in the programme.

It is also more difficult for some products included in the programme to reduce sugar levels. Some of these categories have instead taken action to reduce calorie levels, with sales weighted average calorie levels for retailers and manufacturers reducing by 7.1% in ice creams, lollies and sorbets, 4.3% in cakes and 3.2% in chocolate confectionery. These are not included in the overall assessment of sugar reduction achieved to date of 3.5%.

Due to limitations with the data, it is not possible to produce sales weighted average figures for the eating out of home sector, so changes made to products sold in these businesses are not covered in the data above.

The Major Conditions Strategy: case for change and strategic framework, included a commitment to continue to work with stakeholders and industry to reduce levels of sugar, calories and salt, including in baby food and drink.