Asked by: Jim Dickson (Labour - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to implement the healthy food standard policy announced as part of the 10-year health plan for England within the current Parliament; and if he will publish a timeline for these legislative or regulatory changes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The plan committed to introducing mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector before the end of this Parliament and targets to increase the healthiness of sales in all communities.
To fulfil this commitment, the Government is working towards a Spring 2026 public consultation on Healthier Food Targets and Reporting. Decisions on policy proposals and implementation will be taken following consultation.
Asked by: Jim Dickson (Labour - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the publication of the new nutrient profiling model announced in the 10-year health plan for England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The plan also stated that the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/5, which underpins the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products, is out of date. Updating the standards to reflect the latest dietary advice will strengthen the restrictions and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
The Government intends to publish the updated NPM next year and will consult on the application of the NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-year Health Plan, when he plans to publish the healthy food standard.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The plan committed to introducing mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector before the end of this Parliament as well as targets to increase the healthiness of sales in all communities.
To fulfil this commitment, the Government is working towards a Spring 2026 public consultation on Healthier Food Targets and Reporting.
Decisions on policy proposals and implementation will be taken following consultation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reintroducing a milk strategy for schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only
Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development. As part of the School Food Standards, lower fat milk or lactose reduced milk must be available to children who want it for drinking at least once a day during school hours. It is a legislative requirement that milk is provided free of charge to pupils who meet the free school milk criteria, and schools may charge all other pupils.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads the School Milk Scheme Strategy, which supports the provision of milk in schools. The strategy aims to support the consumption of dairy products by children from an early age to promote healthy eating habits and good nutritional health, and support efforts to tackle child obesity by part subsidising, or reimburse in full where relevant, the cost of a daily portion of dairy in line with national guidance. The Strategy also sets out who the support is targeted at and the eligible products that can be supported.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
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 effectiveness of the soft drinks industry levy on reducing obesity and related illnesses.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Government data shows that sugar levels in drinks in scope of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) reduced by 47% between 2015 and 2024, removing approximately 57,000 tonnes of sugar from these drinks. This has had benefits across all socio-economic groups.
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), an ongoing Government-funded survey of food consumption and nutrient status in the United Kingdom, shows that sugar intakes of older children and adolescents reduced between 2014 and 2019, and the amount of sugar coming from soft drinks reduced.
Academic modelling papers suggest that the following benefits may have been realised as a result of the reductions in sugar seen in drinks in scope of the SDIL:
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of restrictions on television and online advertising of products high in fat, salt and sugar on levels of marketing through outdoor and brand-based advertising; and if he will consider extending restrictions to cover such advertising.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis to ease the strain on our National Health Service and create the healthiest generation of children ever. We are already delivering the biggest public health reforms in a generation, including implementing restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink before 9:00pm on television and at all times online from 5 January 2026.
Last year, the Government published the revised National Planning Policy Framework for local government, giving local authorities stronger, clearer powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools and where young people congregate. This will stop the relentless targeting of children and young people by the fast-food industry.
We also welcome the work by the metropolitan mayors to support the action to ban junk food marketing across public transport networks and public spaces that are controlled locally.
An impact assessment on the advertising restrictions was published on the GOV.UK website, which considered the impact of the restrictions on brand advertising and alternative media, including outdoor advertising, from the perspective of actions that advertisers of products that are high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) may take to mitigate the loss of revenue from the restrictions on television and online. The impact assessment made an assumption that approximately £14 million of lost revenue may be mitigated if HFSS advertisers took these actions.
We continue to review evidence of the impacts on children of advertising for less healthy food and drink products and will consider if and where further action is needed.
Asked by: Baroness Bakewell (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage healthy eating.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
With measures like mandatory business reporting and targets, we are moving to a more strategic, outcomes-based approach focussing on reducing less healthy food consumption, in line with United Kingdom dietary guidelines. We are implementing restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food or drink products on television before 9:00pm and all paid-for advertising online. Volume price promotion restrictions came into force in England on 1 October 2025. This restricts volume price promotions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink in stores and their equivalent places online.
The UK dietary guidelines, as depicted in the Eatwell Guide, advise that people should eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and wholegrain or higher-fibre foods, as well as less processed meat, and food and drink that is high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and salt. The Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through a variety of channels, including the NHS.UK website and Government social marketing campaigns. The guide also underpins Government catering guidance and standards.
The Department also has a series of websites and digital tools that support adults and families to eat better, providing guidance on healthy eating. These include the Food Scanner app, NHS weight loss plan app, email programmes and websites such as Better Health, Better Health Families, and Best Start in Life.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle obesity in children.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is shocking that the latest data from the National Child Measurement Programme showed the highest prevalence of obesity seen in reception age children in England since the programme began, excluding the 2020/21 pandemic peak.
We recognise that prevention is almost always better, and cheaper, than a cure. As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the childhood obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
We are also restricting junk food advertising targeted at children, banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years of age, and ensuring the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains fit for purpose. We are working closely with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support families, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. The Healthy Start scheme, which aims to support those in greatest need, will have the value of its weekly payments uplifted by 10% from April 2026, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most.
In a world first, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for large food businesses. We will set new targets to increase the healthiness of sales.
Our current promotion and advertising restrictions on less healthy food and drinks use the 2004/05 Nutrient Profile Model to determine which foods are ‘less healthy’. This is plainly out of date. We intend to update the standards applied to these restrictions and will consult on implementation in 2026.
We are also working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to develop their cross-Government Food Strategy, which will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help both adults and children live longer, healthier lives.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the food industry on the proposed update of the Nutrient Profiling Model.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis to ease the strain on our National Health Service and create the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes implementing junk food advertising restrictions on TV and online, introducing mandatory healthy food sales reporting for large businesses and setting new targets to increase the healthiness of sales in all communities, and boosting the impact of our advertising and promotions restrictions by applying the updated Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).
The existing advertising restrictions and the location and volume price promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink use the NPM 2004/5 to determine which products are ‘less healthy’ and therefore in scope of the restrictions. The NPM 2004/5 is out of date, and we committed in the 10-Year Health Plan to updating these standards to reflect the latest dietary advice. This will strengthen the restrictions and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
We have started to engage with stakeholders across sectors of the food and drinks industry and will continue this ahead of and during a consultation period in 2026 on the policy application of an updated NPM to ensure stakeholders can feed in their views.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 including fruit and nut bars under the restrictions for high fat, sugar and salt products on the health of consumers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis to ease the strain on our National Health Service and create the healthiest generation of children ever.
There are restrictions on high fat, sugar and salt products in relation to advertising and promotions. These restrictions apply to categories of products of most concern for childhood obesity, which were chosen following public consultation. The Nutrient Profiling Model is then applied to products within each category to determine which products are ‘less healthy’ and therefore subject to the restrictions, based on the balance of positive and negative nutrients. This means that, while products that are not high in saturated fat, salt or sugar are unaffected, fruit and nut bars that are high in saturated fat, salt or sugar are in scope of the restrictions.
We have not quantified the impact of specific products within the advertising or promotions restrictions. However, we have published detailed impact assessments on costs and benefits of these policies on GOV.UK.