Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps with the drinks industry to reduce the level of (a) sugar and (b) calories in pre-packed milk-based drinks.

Milk based drinks are included in the Government’s voluntary sugar reduction programme as they are excluded from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL). Businesses across industry were asked to deliver a 20% sugar reduction in these drinks by 2021. Between 2017 and 2020, sugar and calories in pre-packed milk based drinks sold through retail have reduced by 29.7% and 20%, respectively. Pre-packed milk substitute drinks, such as soya, oat and almond based products, have reduced sugar and calories by 6.9% and 8%, respectively.

The final assessment of industry progress on reducing the sugar and calorie content of milk based drinks is expected to be published in 2024. HM Treasury said it would reconsider the exemption of milk based drinks from SDIL if insufficient reductions had been achieved by 2021.