Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the trends in the past three years relating to the consumption levels of high fat, salt and sugar foods in the UK, particularly among (1) children and (2) vulnerable populations.

This assessment has not yet been published. Data on consumption of foods and their contribution to fat, saturated fat, salt and free sugars intakes are collected and reported via the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Data for 2019 to 2023 combined will be published as part of the next NDNS report, expected in Spring 2024. Data will be published by age group, including for children aged 1.5 to 3 years, 4 to 10 years, and 11 to 18 years. Analysis of food consumption by equivalised household income and Index of Multiple Deprivation will also be published.

Monitoring data for the government’s voluntary sugar reduction programme showed that, between 2015 and 2020, retailers and manufacturers achieved a -3.5% reduction in sales weighted average SWA sugar content per 100g. Overall sales of sugar from the categories included in the programme increased by 7.1% overall, with the largest increases at a category level seen in chocolate confectionary (+26.9%) and sweet spreads and sauces (+24.5%). In contrast, the total sugar sales from drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) decreased by 34.3% between 2015 and 2020.