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 help reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods.

As set out in the King's Speech, the Government will bring forward the necessary secondary legislation to ban junk food advertising to children and to stop the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds. We face an obesity crisis, and we will take action to tackle it head on, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.

There is no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods (UPF), although NOVA is the most widely used classification system. NOVA categorises foods by how processed they are, rather than their nutritional composition.

In July 2023, the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a position statement on processed foods and health, and concluded that observed associations between UPF and health are concerning, but it is unclear whether these foods are inherently unhealthy due to processing or due to their nutritional content. Given the SACN’s concerns, they added the topic of processed foods and health to their watching brief and will consider it at their next horizon scan meeting in October 2024.

Government dietary advice, based on recommendations from the SACN, and as depicted within the Eatwell Guide, already shows that many foods that would be classified as ultra-processed are not part of a healthy, balanced diet as they are high in calories, saturated fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS). The Government’s advice on healthy eating, including the Eatwell Guide’s principles, are communicated through the NHS.UK website and the Government’s social marketing campaigns such as Better Health, Healthier Families, and Start for Life.

As UPFs tend to be HFSS, they are also likely to be the focus of policies to reduce consumption of HFSS foods, including the regulations being brought forward to ban junk food advertising to children and stopping the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to 16-year-olds.