FSA looks set to abandon fat and sugar targets

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has conceded that it might ditch its plan to issue sugar and fat content targets for products, due for publication this month.

The Department of Health's Action Plan, published in March 2005 and based on the November 2004 white paper Choosing Health, said that the FSA would work with the food industry to set new long-term and interim targets to reduce levels of added sugars and fat in food.

However, the FSA has now said that it would not necessarily be setting specific targets.

"It is too early to say, but targets could be among the range of approaches considered for the development of the draft strategy," said the FSA. "We are currently consulting stakeholders to better understand the progress made on reformulation of foods to date, and the scope and limitations on future activities.

"The information obtained, and the robustness and breadth of industry commitments on fat and sugar reduction, will influence whether the agency recommends specific targets."

The FSA targets were expected to be part of a requirement of the government's Action Plan to reduce people's saturated fat intake from 13.3% of food energy to 11% by 2010 and to reduce sugar intake from 12.7% to 11% of food energy.