Government makes some progress on sugar reduction but not nearly enough
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- Published: Friday, 25 May 2018 07:38
- Written by News Editor
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A report by Public Health England shows reductions in the sugar content of those products monitored by them of just 2%, which is less than half the Government’s target after one year and a tenth of the 20% per cent reduction it hopes to achieve by 2020. However sugar content in fizzy drinks targeted by the ‘sugar tax’ has fallen by an average of 11%.
In August 2016 the Government published ‘Childhood obesity: A plan for action’. This included a commitment for Public Health England (PHE) to oversee a sugar reduction programme and challenged all sectors of the food industry to reduce by 20% by 2020 the level of sugar in the categories that contribute most to the intakes of children up to 18 years. Industry was also challenged to achieve a 5% reduction in the first year of the programme.
Headline results
- there have been reductions in sugar levels in 5 out of the 8 food categories where progress has been measured
- for retailers own brand and manufacturer branded products there has been a 2% reduction in total sugar per 100g
- there have been reductions in the calorie content of products likely to be consumed in a single occasion in 4 out of the 6 categories where calorie reduction guidelines were set and where progress has been measured
- for retailers own brand and manufacturer branded products there has been a 2% reduction in calories in products likely to be consumed in a single occasion
- for retailers own brand and manufacturer branded products for the drinks included in the sugar tax there has been an 11% reduction in sugar levels per 100ml. The calorie content of SDIL drinks likely to be consumed on a single occasion also fell by 6%.
There was, in addition, a shift in volume sales towards products with levels of sugar below 5g per 100g (these are not subject to the sugar tax). For out of home, the average sugar content is generally the same and calories in products to be consumed in a single occasion are substantially larger, when compared to retailers own brand and manufacturer branded products.
The Times commented in a leader: ‘The food industry is not doing enough to cut sugar levels in its products. The sugar tax, as both threat and reality, is working, but it does not go far enough. Its scope should therefore be broadened from the drinks aisle to the bakery, confectionery and ready-made puddings sections of the supermarket.’
The British Dental Association has expressed concern as the report shows insufficient progress is being made on sugar reduction targets, warning that the pace and scope of reform needs to be upped in the anticipated second phase of the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan, to address tooth decay and soaring levels of childhood obesity. The BDA seeks sweeping changes to food labelling and branding, and an end to in-store promotions on unhealthy food and drinks and predatory marketing of high sugar products to children.
BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: “The report shows that the food industry is far more willing to respond to sticks than carrots. We need a tough line on reformulation, but also decisive action on advertising to children and buy-one-get-one-free promotions in shops, which evidence shows have a huge impact on purchasing decisions. The NHS needn’t be spending hundreds of millions treating preventable diseases like obesity and tooth decay. Government now needs to go faster and further to make sugar the new tobacco.”
Link to report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sugar-reduction-report-on-first-year-progress
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