Public Health England, Sugar Reduction: Achieving the 20%
Today, Public Health England published a technical report to support the food industry in achieving a 20% sugar reduction by 2020, in the nine food categories that contribute the most amount of sugar in the diets of children. The report outlines progress to date, industry guidelines, 2015 sugar baseline levels in nine food categories and the next steps.
Read Action on Sugar media coverage
Sugar Reduction Targets: NGO letter of support, from Action on Sugar [PDF 306KB]
Graham MacGregor, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Queen Mary University of London and Chairman of Action on Sugar says: "We congratulate PHE's tremendous achievement on setting coherent and achievable sugar reduction targets in such a short space of time. However, the missing factor in this report is how these targets will be enforced. We’ve seen over recent weeks that some companies within the food and drink industry have made great progress whilst others are seriously lagging behind and others claiming wrongly that they can’t do it. Doing nothing is no longer an option – we need transparency from them about how they are meeting the targets (with clear nutritional information made available for restaurants, catering companies and other out-of-home eateries). If these recalcitrant companies don’t comply we need Theresa May to bring in tough measures to ensure compliance and put public health first before the profits of the food industry."
The Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of over 30 organisations, says: “The food industry has a responsibility to play their part in protecting our children’s health, and reducing sugar by 20% will help tackle obesity, and create a healthier future for our children. The Government has set a very achievable goal and we encourage all sectors of the food industry to help tackle the nation’s expensive and devastating obesity problem. The proof will be in the pudding; if industry say they can’t or won’t meet these targets they must expect tougher sanctions.”
