Nutrition & Health

Sugar tax must be extended beyond soft drinks, says Food Standards Scotland

FSS backs extending sugar tax beyond soft drinks

By Matt Atherton

Advice to extend the sugar tax beyond soft drinks, order the reformulation of products to cut sugar, fat and salt, and lower portion sizes, has won the support of Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

Free school meals are said to be a key weapon in the battle against obesity

Free school meals ‘help in fight against obesity’

By Noli Dinkovski

Obesity levels in children continued to be a “disaster”, but the opportunity to improve their nutritional needs through free school meals remained huge, a public health professor has argued.

All Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s soft drinks will fall below the sugar tax threshold

Lucozade Ribena Suntory cuts sugar to avoid tax charge

By Rick Pendrous

Lucozade Ribena Suntory has committed itself to reformulating all of its UK soft drink brands this year to ensure they will not be hit by the sugar tax that comes into force in April next year.

The Dairy Council launched its Milk Manifesto yesterday (June 1)

Milk Manifesto: nutritionists fight dairy ‘myths’

By Matt Atherton

Dairy foods’ nutrition and health benefits must be recognised and celebrated, according to The Dairy Council, as it launches its Milk Manifesto, backed by nutritionists and academics.

The sugar tax on soft drinks will be set at two bands – 5g and 8g per 100ml

Sugar tax needs to offer more incentive, claims IFS

By Rick Pendrous

The tax on soft drinks, which comes into force in April 2018, needs to be changed to give manufacturers more incentive to reduce the sugar in their products, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has argued.

FoodDrinkEurope pledged to help cut Europe’s calorie intake by 10%

Industry calls for health and nutrition improvements

By Gwen Ridler

FoodDrinkEurope, the European food and drink manufacturers association, has launched a call for action to help improve consumers’ diets and promote good health and nutrition at the European Business Summit yesterday (May 23).

Tesco's strategic adviser Tim Smith. Picture courtesy of Tesco.plc

Tesco wants traffic light labels to include exercise

By Rick Pendrous

Food and drink traffic light nutrition labels should be reviewed to make them more understandable by consumers in the battle against obesity, according to Tesco’s strategic adviser Tim Smith.

The soft drinks tax could be extended to cakes, confectionery and pastry after a two-year review

Tax on sugary drinks may be extended after review

By Rick Pendrous

The sugar tax on soft drinks, which was passed by parliament on Tuesday [April 25] and will come into force next April, could be extended to a raft of other food and drink products, following news that its effectiveness on reducing obesity – particularly...

The nutrition show expects to attract 1,000 exhibitors and 18,500 visitors

SHOW PREVIEW

Vitafoods Europe: grounds for optimism

By Noli Dinkovski

With the UK voting to leave the EU and Donald Trump winning the US presidency, it’s fair to say we’ve had a year of political shocks.

The drinks giant is to provide links on the labels of all its leading brands

Pernod Ricard adds nutrition info link on labels

By Noli Dinkovski

Drinks giant Pernod Ricard is to provide a link to nutrition information on the labels of all of its leading brands, following a move by the European Commission (EC) to allow alcohol firms to propose their own labelling guidelines.

Food reformulation: government pressure to develop healthier products is paying off

Sugar and sodium cuts lead global reformulation

By Noli Dinkovski


More than 180,000 consumer goods were reformulated in 2016, with sugar and sodium the most targeted for removal by the food and drink industry, a global report has found.

Dairy does not contribute to obesity, The Dairy Council claimed

Dairy foods can ‘break the obesity cycle’

By Matt Atherton

Consuming milk, yogurt or cheese does not contribute to obesity, and the dairy sector is “too often targeted in public health campaigns tackling obesity”, The Dairy Council has claimed.

Public Health England challenged manufacturers to reduce their products' sugar content by 5% by August this year

Manufacturers set target to cut sugar 20% by 2020

By Matt Atherton

Public Health England (PHE) has targeted a 20% reduction in sugar in some everyday foods to reduce childhood obesity and the food and drink industry is “willing to take on the challenge”.

A ‘fat-busting’ microbe has been identified in healthy intestines that helps combat obesity

Food Vision

Nutrition advice questioned by gut microbe scientist

By Rick Pendrous

Conventional advice on maintaining health and avoiding obesity have been called into question by a leading expert on bacterial gut health – also known as the microbiome – who claimed that ensuring healthy bacteria in the lower intestines and colon has...

New healthy food guidance has been produced for schools

Schools get healthy food guidance

By Rick Pendrous

Local authorities (LAs) are being urged to improve the health credentials of food provided to schoolchildren and help reduce the obesity epidemic across the EU, in new guidance form the European Commission (EC).

Sugar replacer Avanté is claimed to replicate the functionality of sugar in savoury food

Starch sugar-replacer has no taste impact

By Noli Dinkovski

A new starch can reduce sugar content in savoury foods by up to 30% without impacting on quality, texture or taste, its maker has claimed.

Sugar cannot be replaced by a single ingredient, claims Bayn Europe

Natural sugar reduction range extended

By Noli Dinkovski

Food and drink manufacturers are now able to source a comprehensive range of sugar reduction additives from a single ingredients firm, after its leading range was extended to include new variants.

The sugar tax was victimising part of the food sector already lowering its sugar content, Watkins said

Business Leaders' Forum

Sugar tax is a ‘blunt instrument’ against obesity

By Matt Atherton

The sugar tax is a “blunt instrument” to tackle childhood obesity that “victimises” a sector already lowering sugar and calories in its products, according to law firm DWF.

Cereal makers are always looking for ways to reduce sugar, claims the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers

Cereal makers looking for sugar reduction plans

By Matt Atherton

Cereal manufacturers are trying to cut sugar, claims the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers (ACFM), after pressure groups claimed some breakfast cereals contained “shocking levels of sugar”.

More than 20% of children are overweight or obese when they start school

More regulation may be needed after the sugar tax

By Matt Atherton

More sugar regulation might be necessary after the introduction of the sugar levy in April 2018, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has claimed, after research showed that more than one-in-five children started school overweight...

Sugar-free soft drink alternatives should not be promoted as part of a healthy diet, the study claims

Sugar-free drink study slammed by scientists

By Noli Dinkovski

A study that suggests sugar-free and diet drinks play no role in helping people lose weight is unhelpful and ignores the evidence base, scientists and industry lobby groups claim.

What do millennials really think about the sugar tax? Watch this video to find out

Sugar tax

The sugar tax: what do millennials really think?

By Michael Stones

What do youngsters really think about the impact of the soft drinks levy, due to be introduced in 2018? After research published in The Lancet last week backed claims that the levy alone could not remedy Britain’s obesity epidemic, we look back at video...

Sugar reduction research and development is eligible for tax relief

Tax relief is available to aid research into sugar reduction

By Noli Dinkovski

Companies that plan to reformulate their products in the run up to the sugar tax and voluntary reduction targets are likely to be eligible for tax relief on research and development (R&D) costs, a specialist in the field has advised.

Obesity rates in reception age children has increased since 2014/2015

Child obesity rates continue to rise

By Noli Dinkovski

Childhood obesity levels are continuing to increase in the UK, with rates for children living in the most deprived areas more than double those living in affluent boroughs, a national survey has found.

Junk food advertising has been banned across all children's media

Children’s ‘junk food’ ad ban hailed by FDF

By Matt Atherton

The decision to ban ‘junk food’ advertising across all children’s media, in a bid to tackle childhood obesity, has been welcomed by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

FDF president elect Gavin Darby set out top twin priorities for his presidency

FDF president elect Gavin Darby sets out priorities

By Michael Stones

The Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF’s) new president elect, Premier Foods’s ceo Gavin Darby, has named his top twin priorities as helping to remedy the nation’s obesity epidemic and ensuring the sector has a “strong plan” to thrive after Brexit.

New draft legislation for the UK sugar tax was slammed for being 'complex'. Image: Petr Kratochvil

‘Complex’ sugar tax draft slammed

By Gwen Ridler

Draft legislation for the Soft Drink Industry Levy has been described as “complex” and raises “serious questions” if a sugar tax would work, said law firm DWF.

Ultra-runners: those on a ketogenic diet have achieved the highest fat-burning rates ever recorded

Energy and endurance: the ketone kings

By Michelle Knott

A low-carbohydrate diet is usually associated with people trying to lose weight, but another group of carb-cutting enthusiasts is emerging.

J2O maker Britvic reported a profit rise of 10.3% in its full-year trading update

Sweet results for Britvic focusing on low sugar drinks

By Matt Atherton

Soft drinks firm Britvic reported a 10.1% rise in annual sales revenue to £1.43bn, boosted by growth in its no and low sugar drinks, as the manufacturer strived to reduce sugar content before the sugar tax is introduced in April 2018.

Kellogg and Nestlé defended themselves over claims its cereals were high in sugar

Cereal firms defend sugar and salt content levels

By Matt Atherton

Leading cereal manufacturers are striving to slash sugar and salt content, according to the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers (ACFM), after it was revealed that more than half of Kellogg’s and Nestlé’s UK breakfast cereals were high in sugar.

Williams: ‘Regrettably, some of the stories in the media do little to reduce public confusion about what constitutes a healthy diet’

British Nutrition Foundation targets myths in media

By Rick Pendrous

The widespread misunderstanding among huge swathes of the public about nutrition science has led the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) to embark on a programme of work to make this complex subject better understood and dispel many of the myths that are...

Rabobank: The end of the EU sugar production quota will not necessarily guarantee a low price

Consider longer-term sugar contracts: report

By Noli Dinkovski

Food and drink producers should consider longer-term sugar purchasing contracts, or switch to sweeteners, before the EU sugar quota ends in October 2017, a report has claimed.

The NHS's planned sugar tax for its hospitals could not be justified, according to BSDA boss

NHS sugar tax not ‘justified’: BSDA boss

By Gwen Ridler

National Health Service (NHS) plans to introduce a sugar soft drinks ban or tax in its hospitals could not be “justified”, according to British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) boss.

Tesco is to reduce the amount of sugar in all of its own-label soft drinks

Tesco reduces sugar in own-label drinks

By Gwen Ridler

Tesco is to reduce the sugar content in all of its own-label soft drinks in a bid to offer healthier choices to its customers, it claimed.

Follow us

Featured Jobs

View more

Webinars