Research and analysis

Sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme: stakeholder engagement June 2020 to February 2021

Updated 11 May 2021

Scope

This update forms part of the regular updates that Public Health England (PHE) publishes on the reduction and reformulation programme. The reduction and reformulation programme is overseen by PHE on behalf of the government as detailed in the Childhood Obesity Plan (chapter 1 and chapter 2), the prevention green paper Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s and the July 2020 strategy document, Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives. This brief update includes the main actions PHE has taken forward covering the period from July 2020 until the end of February 2021, and next steps for the reduction and reformulation programme.

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholder engagement during this period has been more limited than usual due to fulfilling support to the government’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges experienced by the food and drink industry in response to social distancing restrictions. The phased engagement with the eating out of home sector has been paused due to the COVID-19 response.

Sugar

PHE published the third progress report for the sugar reduction programme, together with the first progress report for juice and milk-based drinks including fermented (yogurt) drinks, in October 2020. The report includes an assessment of industry progress in the first 3 years of the sugar reduction programme towards the 20% reduction ambition and progress for the first time for unsweetened juices including smoothies and sweetened milk-based drinks.

It includes overall results for the programme for the different sectors of the food industry – in-home (for example, retailers and manufacturers) and eating out, takeaway and delivery sector (restaurants, pubs, cafes) – as well as progress in categories, by businesses and in top selling products. The report also includes an assessment of changes in sugar content and sales of drinks covered by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL).

The fourth annual report on progress is due in 2021 and will include assessment of the second year of progress in juice and milk-based drinks.

Calories

PHE published calorie guidelines for the food industry in September 2020 to reduce the calories in product categories that contribute significantly to children’s calorie intakes (up to the age of 18) by 2024. Detailed progress reports are anticipated in 2022, 2024 and 2025.

Salt

In September 2020 PHE published revised salt reduction targets to be achieved by 2024. A report on the food industry’s progress towards meeting the 2024 targets is anticipated in 2022.

A second detailed report assessing progress towards meeting the 2017 salt reduction targets was also published in September 2020. PHE remains committed to open and transparent monitoring of progress.

The publication of the government’s prevention green paper in July 2019 set out government’s ambition to continue to reduce population salt intakes. Updated figures on salt intakes for adults in England were published by PHE in March 2020. Average salt consumption for adults in 2019, measured from urinary analysis, was 8.4 grams per day, remaining higher than the recommended maximum of 6g per day.

Product ranges aimed at babies and young children

PHE published a review of the evidence and recommendations for action on commercial baby foods and drinks aimed at children aged up to 3 years in June 2019.

The publication of the government’s prevention green paper in July 2019 challenged businesses to improve the nutritional content of commercially available baby foods and drinks. Following stakeholder engagement on draft guideline proposals, PHE is considering the feedback received and will provide advice to ministers prior to publication of the guidelines for these products in Spring 2021.

Data

Following a recent procurement exercise, Kantar Worldpanel will remain the commercial data provider for the in-home and also provide the data for the eating out, takeaway and delivery sectors for a 5-year period.

PHE will request data to contribute to PHE’s assessment for the calorie and salt reduction progress reports that are due for publication in 2022. For previous progress reports for the sugar reduction programme we have invited out of home sector businesses to provide data, but in view of the particular challenges that many businesses have experienced over the past year, PHE does not intend to request data for the sugar progress report due for publication this year. An update on these timelines will be available at a later date.

Case studies will be welcomed in the forthcoming sugar progress report and if provided will cover all sectors of industry and all the food categories covered by the sugar reduction programme, juices and milk-based drinks, and drinks covered by the SDIL.

Next steps

For the reduction and reformulation programme planned for 2021 the next steps are:

• publishing a fourth progress report for the sugar reduction programme including a second year progress report for juice and milk-based drinks
• publishing guidelines to improve the nutritional content of commercially available baby foods and drinks

Appendix 1

Stakeholder engagement July 2020 to February 2021

The table below shows stakeholder engagement with the reduction and reformulation programmes covered by PHE between July 2020 and February 2021. Generally, the content of these stakeholder meetings covered the breadth of the reduction and reformulation programme. Stakeholder engagement on draft commercial baby food and drink guideline proposals will be reported separately when the guidelines are published.

It is our understanding that many businesses have continued to work towards achieving the aims and ambitions of the government but would not have necessarily had direct engagement with PHE during this timeframe.

Although every effort has been taken for this table to be comprehensive there may be some instances where this has not been possible.

List of stakeholder engagement July 2020 to February 2021

Retailers

Co-operative food

Manufacturers

Burton’s Biscuits
Coca-Cola GB
Ferrero
James White Drinks
Pepsico
Rebel Kitchen

Out of Home, takeaway and delivery businesses*

Apetito
Bidfood
Compass Group UK
McDonald’s
Out of Home Alliance**
Pizza Hut

Trade associations

British Retail Consortium
Food and Drink Federation
The Snack, Nut and Crisp Manufacturers Association (SNACMA)

Non-governmental organisations

British Dietetic Association

*‘Out of home, Takeaway and Delivery Businesses’ covers businesses such as contract caterers (foodservice), vending and retail food to go
**Out of Home Alliance members in attendance – Costa and Whitbread