Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications of a poor maternal diet in pregnancy for the life chances of babies, in the light of research conducted in the last decade.

The most recent assessment of the influence of poor maternal diet on later health consequences, including the risk of chronic disease in adulthood, was carried out for government by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) in 2011.

Taking into account the international evidence base and the findings from the United Kingdom National Diet and Nutrition Surveys showing that women of childbearing age are not meeting dietary recommendations, SACN concluded that there is cause for concern. It advised that improving the nutritional status of women of childbearing age, infants and young children, has the potential to improve the health of future generations.

Current dietary advice to women of reproductive age, those planning a pregnancy and those who are pregnant, is promoted via the NHS Choices website as well as the government’s social marketing campaigns, such as Start4Life.