Obesity

Small businesses will be exempt from the Government's junk food ad ban

Small businesses exempt from junk food ad ban

By Gwen Ridler

Small business are to be exempt from the Government’s ban on junk food advertising, as sweeping bans on ads for foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) come into force next year.

Buttriss: 'More needs to be done to help people make decisions about processed food purchases'

Nutrition opinion

Processed food dilemma

By by Judy Buttriss

Even at home, few of the foods we prepare are unprocessed.

New rules of HFSS foods risk damaging the sports nutrition industry, claimed ESSNA

Sports nutrition at risk from HFSS guidelines

By Gwen Ridler

Poorly defined restrictions on products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) in the Government’s obesity regulation efforts could risk damaging the sport nutrition industry, the European Specialist Sport Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) claims.

From 21 September half the plastic in CCEP's core portfolio comes from recycled sources

Coca-Cola eyes Costa Coffee, Topo Chico, energy NPD

By Rod Addy

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is gearing up for further growth and launches focused on ready-to-drink Costa Coffee products, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer and energy drinks among other areas in 2021.

Miles: 'It is time to refocus on how we can achieve a food system that maintains the robustness and resilience of the current system'

Food Standards Agency boss calls for collaboration

By Gwen Ridler

Government and industry must collaborate more to create a food strategy fit for purpose and tackle the failings of the past, according to Food Standards Agency (FSA) chief executive Emily Miles.

Professor Judy Buttriss, director general of the British Nutrition Foundation, talks about the importance of reformulation.

OPINION

Reformulation and innovation support healthier, more sustainable diets

By Judy Buttriss

The importance of reformulation and, in particular, innovation to improve the nutrient profile of food has been reinforced recently by the challenges associated with the high prevalence of obesity, its association with symptom severity in COVID-19, the...

Action on Sugar calls for action over fruit snacks

Honest labelling’ called for on children’s fruit snacks

By Michelle Perrett

A campaign group is calling for honest labelling on fruit snacks for children, arguing they are displaying misleading claims such as ‘1 of your 5 a day’, ‘Naturally occurring sugars’ or ‘Made from real fruit’.

Pladis said it had cut the sugar content in nine of its best selling McVitie’s biscuits last year

Pladis boosts profit and sales amid nutrition drive

By Rod Addy

Biscuits and snacks firm Pladis Foods, which makes brands such as McVitie’s, has reported significant annual growth in international profits and sales and outlined efforts to promote nutrition and healthy eating.

Calls for more obesity action

Sector pressed on obesity and healthy eating cost

By Michelle Perrett

The root causes of obesity lie in the food sector and the Government needs to invest in food innovation and reformulations that are affordable, a report by think tank Demos has revealed.

Food firms could be forced to adapt to the Government's new childhood obesity strategy by their stakeholders

Manufacturers to adapt to obesity policy or be forced to

By Gwen Ridler

Food manufacturers must quickly adapt to the Government’s plans to curb childhood obesity or risk being forced to by their investors and stakeholders, according to a report from investment charity Share Action.

Reaction to the Government plans have been mixed.

Reaction mixed to obesity strategy

By Michelle Perrett

There was mixed reaction from the industry to the Government plans to fight obesity, which were released on 27 July.

Boredom, anxiety, stress and an inability to travel to supermarkets have sparked a rise in unhealthy eating during the coronavirus pandemic

Boredom sparks decline in healthy eating

By Gwen Ridler

Nearly two-thirds of people in Britain have attributed the main reason for eating less healthily than usual during the coronavirus lockdown to boredom, according to the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).

Jackfruit is commonly used in south and south-east Asian cuisines

2020 FOOD TRENDS

Jackfruit, tempeh and seitan to lead plant-based boom

By Noli Dinkovski

The likes of jackfruit, tempeh and seitan are likely to appear much more frequently on supermarket shelves in 2020 as the plant-based boom continues, an ingredients supplier has claimed.

Social media is making it more difficult for consumers to monitor calorie intake

Social media advertising damaging obesity work

By Dan Colombini

Changes in consumer advertising behaviour and the rise of social media are making it more challenging for food manufacturers to tackle the UK’s obesity crisis.

Many food and drink businesses are already taking significant steps to make their products healthier, through reformulation, labelling and innovation.

IGD publishes guide for portion sizes

By Dan Colombini

Research and training charity IGD has published a new guide for food businesses to help them review and set portion sizes.

Professor Buttriss: ‘Saturated fat intakes have fallen over the past 30 years but remain above recommendations’

OPINION

Lowering saturated fat intakes remains the goal

By Professor Judy Buttriss

There has been much debate about whether saturated fat is bad or not, but the Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has confirmed there is robust evidence to uphold existing advice to reduce saturated fat to no more than 10% of total...

Manufacturers and retailers reduced sugar by 2.9% across 10 categories between 2015–2018

‘Mixed progress’ in sugar reduction: PHE report

By Noli Dinkovski

Breakfast cereal and yogurt manufacturers are leading the way in sugar reduction, but progress in confectionery, biscuits and puddings has stalled, according to Public Health England’s (PHE’s) second-year report on the food industry’s attempt to voluntarily...

Perez questioned whether taxes could really curb obesity in the UK

Opinion

Putting a lid on health taxes

By Steve Perez

Global Brands founder and chairman Steve Perez questions the effectiveness of taxes to combat the rise of obesity in the UK.

Foods high in fat, sugar or salt are being targeted by the Scottish Government

HFSS promotions in Scotland to be restricted

By Noli Dinkovski

Sales of confectionery, cakes, crisps and sugary drinks north of the border are to be curbed after the Scottish Government announced plans to restricting the promotion of food high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS).

Despite being high in saturated fatty acids, oily fish and nuts are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease

WHO sat fat advice may reduce healthy food intake: study

By Noli Dinkovski

A study that found current World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on saturated and trans fatty acids may reduce the intake of food important for disease prevention has received a cautious welcome from leading UK scientists.

Dr Tedstone: ‘UK manufacturers and retailers have already shown they are capable of innovation and creativity’

OPINION

Do more to improve the nation’s health: Tedstone

By Dr Alison Tedstone

Public Heath England chief nutritionist Dr Alison Tedstone discusses why food and drink manufacturers need to up their game when it comes to reducing sugar and calories in their products.

Bakery boss calls for level playing field in obesity battle

Greggs boss: no unlevel playing-field in obesity battle

By Noli Dinkovski

Targeting larger companies only in the out-of-home (OOH) sector, as part of the Government’s drive to combat obesity, risks “squeezing the balloon” in favour of independent operators, the boss of the UK’s largest bakery chain has warned.

HCC research has revealed that more than half of consumers are confused about meat intake recommendations

Confusion reigns over meat intake guidance

By Aidan Fortune

Misconceptions among the British public over how much red meat should be consumed on a daily basis may be leading to the unnecessary cutting down of portions, a new study has found.

Cardiovascular disease could be mitigated with healthier diets

Opinion

How dietary patterns may influence CVD risk

By Judy Buttriss

Premature deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) have fallen considerably, in part due to new treatments – but ill health associated with the disease remains high and could even be rising in older age groups.

Action on calories more effective than pressure to reduce sugar, claimed experts

Calories more important than sugar in obesity debate

By Gwen Ridler

Reducing calories and portion sizes would play a more important role in curbing obesity than putting pressure on manufacturers to cut sugar in their products, according to an expert in food science.

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy helped to boost the performance of its Robinsons squash brand, Britvic said

Soft drinks levy does industry a favour

By Rod Addy

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) helped to boost sales for the industry, rather than dampening performance, according to Britvic’s 2018 Soft Drinks Review, which was made public on 11 April.

Five-a-day claims: three out of four products studied didn’t contain the recommended 80g portion size

Trading Standards warning over ‘five-a-day’ claims

By Noli Dinkovski

Food manufacturers have been warned that they could fall foul of Trading Standards rules after a study revealed three-quarters of products with five-a-day claims fell short of the recommended 80g portion size.

The low intake of healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables was marked as a leading dietary risk factor

Policy shift to healthy food needed, study warns

By Noli Dinkovski

Policy-makers should shift their emphasis from dietary restriction to promoting healthy food after one-in-five deaths globally were linked to a poor diet, a major study has revealed.

The database underpins research that informs current Public Health England dietary policy

Nutrition of thousands of recipes made available online

By Noli Dinkovski

The nutrient levels of thousands of the most commonly eaten foods and recipe dishes in the UK has been made available online following a tie up between Public Health England (PHE) and the Quadram Institute.

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