Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential financial implications for the dairy and yoghurt manufacturing industry of redesigning labels and packaging as a result of yoghurt and other dairy-based products being classified as high in fat, sugar, or salt under the revised Nutrient Profiling Model.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Heath Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
As part of this, we are committed to updating the standards which underpin the advertising restrictions on television and online and the promotions restrictions in stores and their equivalent places online on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products. The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05 is plainly out of date and updating the standards will strengthen the restrictions by reflecting the latest dietary advice and will more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
Applying the new NPM to our advertising and promotions policies will further incentivise businesses to reformulate their products, making it easier for consumers to make healthier food choices.
We have published guidance to industry on how to determine which food and drink products will be in scope of the advertising and promotions restrictions. Products are classified as ‘less healthy’ for the purpose of the restrictions if they achieve a score within the thresholds of the NPM and fall into one of the categories of food and drink products which are of most concern to childhood obesity, which are set out in the regulations.
We will publish a consultation this year to seek stakeholder views on applying the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions on less healthy food and drink products, including an impact assessment of the costs to businesses and intended health outcomes. We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future that applying the new NPM to these policies is expected to reduce a further 170,000 cases of childhood obesity.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential financial implications for the dairy and yoghurt manufacturing industry of reformulating products if the revised Nutrient Profiling Model results in yoghurt and other dairy-based products being classified as high in fat, sugar, or salt.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Heath Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
As part of this, we are committed to updating the standards which underpin the advertising restrictions on television and online and the promotions restrictions in stores and their equivalent places online on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products. The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05 is plainly out of date and updating the standards will strengthen the restrictions by reflecting the latest dietary advice and will more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
Applying the new NPM to our advertising and promotions policies will further incentivise businesses to reformulate their products, making it easier for consumers to make healthier food choices.
We have published guidance to industry on how to determine which food and drink products will be in scope of the advertising and promotions restrictions. Products are classified as ‘less healthy’ for the purpose of the restrictions if they achieve a score within the thresholds of the NPM and fall into one of the categories of food and drink products which are of most concern to childhood obesity, which are set out in the regulations.
We will publish a consultation this year to seek stakeholder views on applying the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions on less healthy food and drink products, including an impact assessment of the costs to businesses and intended health outcomes. We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future that applying the new NPM to these policies is expected to reduce a further 170,000 cases of childhood obesity.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with Dairy UK and other trade bodies on the potential impact of the revised Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) for the dairy supply chain.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
As part of this, we are committed to updating the standards which underpin the advertising restrictions on television and online and the promotion restrictions in stores and their equivalent places online on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products. The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05 is plainly out of date and updating the standards will strengthen the restrictions by reflecting the latest dietary advice and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
The Government has met with a range of stakeholders over the past year to listen to their concerns, and officials met with Dairy UK in August 2025.
The Government remains committed to engaging relevant stakeholders and we will consult this year on the application of an updated NPM’s to the advertising and promotion restrictions to ensure they can feed in their views.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the publication of the new nutrient profiling model announced in the 10-year health plan for England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The plan also stated that the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05, which underpins the advertising restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products on television and online and promotion restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products in stores and their equivalent places online, is out of date. Updating the standards to reflect the latest dietary advice will strengthen the restrictions and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
The Government intends to publish the new NPM in due course, ahead of consulting on its application to the advertising and promotions restrictions this year.
Asked by: Jim Dickson (Labour - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the publication of the new nutrient profiling model announced in the 10-year health plan for England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. The plan also stated that the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/5, which underpins the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products, is out of date. Updating the standards to reflect the latest dietary advice will strengthen the restrictions and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
The Government intends to publish the updated NPM next year and will consult on the application of the NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 tackle obesity in children.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is shocking that the latest data from the National Child Measurement Programme showed the highest prevalence of obesity seen in reception age children in England since the programme began, excluding the 2020/21 pandemic peak.
We recognise that prevention is almost always better, and cheaper, than a cure. As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the childhood obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
We are also restricting junk food advertising targeted at children, banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years of age, and ensuring the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains fit for purpose. We are working closely with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support families, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. The Healthy Start scheme, which aims to support those in greatest need, will have the value of its weekly payments uplifted by 10% from April 2026, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most.
In a world first, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for large food businesses. We will set new targets to increase the healthiness of sales.
Our current promotion and advertising restrictions on less healthy food and drinks use the 2004/05 Nutrient Profile Model to determine which foods are ‘less healthy’. This is plainly out of date. We intend to update the standards applied to these restrictions and will consult on implementation in 2026.
We are also working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to develop their cross-Government Food Strategy, which will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help both adults and children live longer, healthier lives.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce youth obesity rates.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government will take action to tackle the root causes of obesity head on, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
We are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier food environment. We are taking action to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we are limiting school children’s access to fast food, we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose, and we are committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds.
The Government has announced the extension of free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, and that work is in progress with experts from across the sector to revise the School Food Standards, so that every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance.
We are also working collaboratively across the Government on the Food Strategy and the Child Poverty Strategy to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to tackle obesity and give every child the best start in life.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 May 2025 on Childhood obesity, HCWS652, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) delaying implementation of advertising restrictions from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026 on the number of additional advertisements for less healthy food that will be shown on television and (b) exempting brand advertising from the restrictions on children's health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.
We have not undertaken an assessment of the impact of moving the enforcement date of the restrictions from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026, or of providing an exemption for ‘brand advertising’ from the regulations, because we are not changing the policy but instead providing legal clarification on an existing aspect of the policy. We have secured a unique and public commitment from advertisers and broadcasters to voluntarily comply with the restrictions from 1 October 2025, meaning we do not expect to see adverts for specific identifiable less healthy products shown on television between 5:30am and 9:00pm, or at any time online. Therefore, from 1 October, we expect to achieve the outcomes of the policy as planned, which will protect children from the harms of junk food advertising and begin to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year.
We received representation from a range of stakeholders in response to the Advertising Standards Authority's revised implementation guidance, and following my written statement of 7 April 2025. This included written correspondence from industry bodies, broadcasters, advertisers, and non-government organisations. We listened carefully to the concerns raised by all stakeholders, and we have worked with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to find a resolution that supports economic growth by ensuring that industry has the confidence to invest in advertising that complies with the restrictions, whilst protecting children from advertising of less healthy products.
An impact assessment was published in 2021, along with the laying of the primary legislation, which recognised that brand advertising that did not identify less healthy products is out of the scope of the restrictions. This remains fit-for-purpose, as we are not changing the policy but providing legal clarification on the existing policy.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 7 April 2025 on Childhood Obesity, HCWS579, whether her Department received representations from industry after that statement was made.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.
We have not undertaken an assessment of the impact of moving the enforcement date of the restrictions from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026, or of providing an exemption for ‘brand advertising’ from the regulations, because we are not changing the policy but instead providing legal clarification on an existing aspect of the policy. We have secured a unique and public commitment from advertisers and broadcasters to voluntarily comply with the restrictions from 1 October 2025, meaning we do not expect to see adverts for specific identifiable less healthy products shown on television between 5:30am and 9:00pm, or at any time online. Therefore, from 1 October, we expect to achieve the outcomes of the policy as planned, which will protect children from the harms of junk food advertising and begin to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year.
We received representation from a range of stakeholders in response to the Advertising Standards Authority's revised implementation guidance, and following my written statement of 7 April 2025. This included written correspondence from industry bodies, broadcasters, advertisers, and non-government organisations. We listened carefully to the concerns raised by all stakeholders, and we have worked with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to find a resolution that supports economic growth by ensuring that industry has the confidence to invest in advertising that complies with the restrictions, whilst protecting children from advertising of less healthy products.
An impact assessment was published in 2021, along with the laying of the primary legislation, which recognised that brand advertising that did not identify less healthy products is out of the scope of the restrictions. This remains fit-for-purpose, as we are not changing the policy but providing legal clarification on the existing policy.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 May 2025, HCWS652, on Childhood obesity, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of delaying the legal implementation of advertising restrictions from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026 on children's health outcomes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online, as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever.
We have not undertaken an assessment of the impact of moving the enforcement date of the restrictions from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026, or of providing an exemption for ‘brand advertising’ from the regulations, because we are not changing the policy but instead providing legal clarification on an existing aspect of the policy. We have secured a unique and public commitment from advertisers and broadcasters to voluntarily comply with the restrictions from 1 October 2025, meaning we do not expect to see adverts for specific identifiable less healthy products shown on television between 5:30am and 9:00pm, or at any time online. Therefore, from 1 October, we expect to achieve the outcomes of the policy as planned, which will protect children from the harms of junk food advertising and begin to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from children’s diets each year.
We received representation from a range of stakeholders in response to the Advertising Standards Authority's revised implementation guidance, and following my written statement of 7 April 2025. This included written correspondence from industry bodies, broadcasters, advertisers, and non-government organisations. We listened carefully to the concerns raised by all stakeholders, and we have worked with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to find a resolution that supports economic growth by ensuring that industry has the confidence to invest in advertising that complies with the restrictions, whilst protecting children from advertising of less healthy products.
An impact assessment was published in 2021, along with the laying of the primary legislation, which recognised that brand advertising that did not identify less healthy products is out of the scope of the restrictions. This remains fit-for-purpose, as we are not changing the policy but providing legal clarification on the existing policy.