Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the link between ultra-processed food and cancer; and what steps they are taking to reduce the consumption such foods.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health, including cancer, and aims to publish a position statement in the summer of 2023.

Diets high in foods classified as processed are often also high in calories, sugar, saturated fat and salt and low in fibre, which is associated with an increased risk of chronic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy balanced diet in line with the United Kingdom’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts.