Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to incorporate standardised microbiome endpoints in the safety assessment of food additives; and what plans they have to ensure that food regulation reflects the cumulative effects of additive ultraprocessed food mixtures upon the public.

The development of standardised end points remains an important consideration across food regulatory regimes and is kept under review with input from the relevant scientific advisory committees. In 2024, the Committee on Toxicity held a workshop entitled Gut reactions: xenobiotics and the microbiome and published its report in June 2025.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has not started any work to develop regulatory changes specifically relating to ultra-processed foods. The FSA continues to monitor emerging evidence in this area and will take account of relevant developments, including the findings of the UK Research and Innovation public dialogue on ultra-processed foods, published in April 2026.