Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 introduce dietary guidelines to improve awareness of ultra-processed foods.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
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.
UK Government dietary guidelines are based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). SACN is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish its initial assessment in the summer of 2023.
There is currently no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. However, a diet high in foods classified as processed is often high in calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar and low in fibre, fruit and vegetables, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity and developing chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
The Good Choice badge helps people identify healthier options using the NHS Food Scanner app and when shopping in store and online. The app helps families to see what is in their food and drinks and suggests healthier alternatives, where these exist, that can help them cut down on sugar, saturated fat and salt. The Good Choice badge is underpinned by nutrition criteria that determine which products can display the badge.
The app and wider Better Health campaign supports families on their journey towards having a healthier diet, as making the step to the healthiest option may be too far for many people in one move.
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funds a range of important research on obesity. This includes a project in the NIHR Obesity Policy Research Unit investigating how families in areas of low income experience food environments and another project investigating factors that drive parental decisions regarding food provision for infants across socio-economic position.
The Healthy Start Scheme supports eligible low-income families to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Recipients are also eligible for free Healthy start vitamins, boosting the long-term health of their children. The value of these vouchers was increased from £3.10 to £4.25 a week in April 2021, ensuring more families can have access to healthy and nourishing foods.
The Department for Education spend over £1 billion each year on free school meals. This includes around £600 million on Universal Infant Free School Meals, where the per meal rate has been increased to £2.41, backdated to April 2022 in recognition of recent cost pressures.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a percentage reduction target for ultra-processed food consumption levels.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
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.
UK Government dietary guidelines are based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). SACN is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish its initial assessment in the summer of 2023.
There is currently no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. However, a diet high in foods classified as processed is often high in calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar and low in fibre, fruit and vegetables, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity and developing chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
The Good Choice badge helps people identify healthier options using the NHS Food Scanner app and when shopping in store and online. The app helps families to see what is in their food and drinks and suggests healthier alternatives, where these exist, that can help them cut down on sugar, saturated fat and salt. The Good Choice badge is underpinned by nutrition criteria that determine which products can display the badge.
The app and wider Better Health campaign supports families on their journey towards having a healthier diet, as making the step to the healthiest option may be too far for many people in one move.
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funds a range of important research on obesity. This includes a project in the NIHR Obesity Policy Research Unit investigating how families in areas of low income experience food environments and another project investigating factors that drive parental decisions regarding food provision for infants across socio-economic position.
The Healthy Start Scheme supports eligible low-income families to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Recipients are also eligible for free Healthy start vitamins, boosting the long-term health of their children. The value of these vouchers was increased from £3.10 to £4.25 a week in April 2021, ensuring more families can have access to healthy and nourishing foods.
The Department for Education spend over £1 billion each year on free school meals. This includes around £600 million on Universal Infant Free School Meals, where the per meal rate has been increased to £2.41, backdated to April 2022 in recognition of recent cost pressures.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care on 24 November 2022 (92381), why products containing over 50 per cent of fruit, nuts and seeds are subject to restrictions applied to products high in fat, salt and sugar, when no assessment has been made of the levels of consumption by children of such products.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 apply to products that are high in fat, sugar or salt found in categories of food and drink that contribute substantially to children's sugar and calorie intakes, are heavily promoted and therefore are most concern for childhood obesity. To determine if a product is in scope of the restrictions, the product must meet two criteria. First, the product must fall in one of the 13 categories listed in the regulations. The categories mostly align with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities sugar and calorie reduction and reformulation programmes. The categories chosen were informed by consumption data of everyday foods that contribute to the intakes of children up to the age of 18 years old.
Once a product is found to be in one of those 13 categories, the Nutrient Profiling Model 2004/05 and associated 2011 technical guidance provides an overall assessment of the nutritional content of products. If a food product scores four or more or a drink product scores one or more, then the product is considered less healthy and is therefore in scope of the restrictions.
Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the levels of consumption by children, sweet biscuits and bars containing over 50% of fruit, nuts and seeds, are in scope of the promotions regulations and included in the biscuit category of the sugar reduction programme as they are likely to be eaten in a similar way, and at the same type of eating occasion, as cereal bars.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data describes the differing causes of obesity (1) with and without malnutrition, and (2) in people of high and low economic placement.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Obesity is a complex problem caused by numerous factors, to which there is no single solution. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that body mass index (BMI) is used to assess obesity in adults and children. Additionally, it recommends the use of other validated obesity measures, such as waist circumference, to be undertaken alongside BMI for adults when assessing overweightness and obesity in individuals to give a more detailed assessment of an individual’s health risk.
Malnutrition as a broad term refers to deficiency, excess or imbalances of a person’s intake of calories, protein and other nutrients which causes measurable adverse effects on body composition, function or clinical outcome. The full definition of malnutrition therefore includes overnutrition which can lead to obesity, however, in the United Kingdom, the term is more commonly used to refer to a clinical condition involving undernutrition.
NICE advises that nutrition support should be considered in people who are malnourished, as defined by any of the following: a BMI of less than 18.5 kilograms/m2; unintentional weight loss greater than 10% within the last three to six months; or a BMI of less than 20 kilograms/m2 and unintentional weight loss greater than 5% within the last three to six months.
Someone can therefore be a healthy weight or have a BMI in the overweight or obese categories but be identified through the NICE definition as potentially requiring nutrition support. The term ‘malnutrition’ is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a poor diet; although this may put someone at increased risk of malnutrition, this would not necessarily meet the criteria for malnutrition.
Data is not collected on causes of obesity. Data from the Health Survey for England, 2021 and National Child Measurement Programme show obesity prevalence was lowest for those living in the least deprived areas and highest in the most deprived areas.
Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the criteria that distinguish obese citizens in England who are described as malnourished from other obese citizens who are not so described.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Obesity is a complex problem caused by numerous factors, to which there is no single solution. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that body mass index (BMI) is used to assess obesity in adults and children. Additionally, it recommends the use of other validated obesity measures, such as waist circumference, to be undertaken alongside BMI for adults when assessing overweightness and obesity in individuals to give a more detailed assessment of an individual’s health risk.
Malnutrition as a broad term refers to deficiency, excess or imbalances of a person’s intake of calories, protein and other nutrients which causes measurable adverse effects on body composition, function or clinical outcome. The full definition of malnutrition therefore includes overnutrition which can lead to obesity, however, in the United Kingdom, the term is more commonly used to refer to a clinical condition involving undernutrition.
NICE advises that nutrition support should be considered in people who are malnourished, as defined by any of the following: a BMI of less than 18.5 kilograms/m2; unintentional weight loss greater than 10% within the last three to six months; or a BMI of less than 20 kilograms/m2 and unintentional weight loss greater than 5% within the last three to six months.
Someone can therefore be a healthy weight or have a BMI in the overweight or obese categories but be identified through the NICE definition as potentially requiring nutrition support. The term ‘malnutrition’ is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a poor diet; although this may put someone at increased risk of malnutrition, this would not necessarily meet the criteria for malnutrition.
Data is not collected on causes of obesity. Data from the Health Survey for England, 2021 and National Child Measurement Programme show obesity prevalence was lowest for those living in the least deprived areas and highest in the most deprived areas.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
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 trends in level of funding for public health grants on a real-terms basis for each financial year since 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The following table shows the local authority public health grant allocations for each year since 2015/16. The targeted departmental public health funding is allocated to local authorities for drug treatment, the Start for Life programme, weight management services and human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis.
The 2021 Spending Review confirmed that the public health grant to local authorities would increase over the settlement period. In 2022/23, the grant increased by 2.81% to £3.417 billion. This is in addition to targeted investment through local Government in Start for Life support and drug and alcohol treatment services.
Year | Real terms allocation (2021/22 prices) |
2015/16 | £3.471 million |
2016/17 | £3.794 million |
2017/18 | £3.640 million |
2018/19 | £3.484 million |
2019/20 | £3.306 million |
2020/21 | £3.255 million |
2021/22 | £3.324 million |
2022/23 | £3.259 million |
Notes:
Asked by: Jo Gideon (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to halve child obesity by 2030; and what assessment he has made of the impact the postponing the introduction of the watershed of 9.00pm for television advertisements for food high in fat, salt and sugar will have on meeting that goal.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
New Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Regulations restricting the placement of products high in fat, salt or sugar came into force in October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation.
In addition, we are supporting more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Schemes and helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School Physical Education (PE) and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network.
A full impact assessment for advertising restrictions was published in June 2021 providing detail on the expected impact of the restrictions. We do not expect a short-term delay to the implementation to have a significant impact on the substantial benefits in the longer term.
Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce levels of (a) glaucoma and (b) preventable sight loss in England.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Prevention, early detection and access to timely treatment are all key to preventing sight loss. Free National Health Service sight tests are available to children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on low incomes, and those at increased risk of certain eye diseases, including glaucoma. Diabetic Retinopathy screening is also offered annually to individuals aged 12 years old or over with diabetes.
Furthermore, the Government has well established programmes on reducing smoking and obesity, both long terms risk factors for sight loss. The Government also recognises that research is crucial for improving outcomes for patients with sight threatening conditions. Over the past five financial years, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has invested more than £100 million in funding and support for eye conditions research, many of the studies specifically focus on sight loss. NHS England’s transformation programme is also considering how eye care services should be commissioned for the future, which will improve access to care and patient outcomes.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
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 address child obesity rates.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
New Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the promotion by location of products high in fat, salt or sugar came into force on 1 October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices and make further progress on reformulation.
In addition, we are supporting more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Schemes and helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the study entitled Evaluation of water fluoridation scheme in Cumbria: the CATFISH prospective longitudinal cohort study published in Public Health Research in November 2022, if his Department will commission a long-tern study into the impact of water fluoridation on levels in children of (a) fluorosis, (b) obesity and (c) autism.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including the impact of water fluoridation in adults and children. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics. We monitor the effects of the water fluoridation arrangements on the health of the populations served by schemes and publish a report every four years. The latest report, published in 2022, supports earlier findings and wider evidence that water fluoridation, at levels recommended in the United Kingdom, is a safe and effective public health measure to reduce dental decay and inequalities in dental health.