Diet & health

Public Health England report: Key points and reactions

Public Health England report: Key points and reactions

By Niamh Michail

"No single action will be effective in reducing sugar intakes," concludes Public Health England's report which recommends cutting price promotions, junk food advertising and setting a sugar tax. We look at some reactions to the findings.

“We think there could be bigger impacts from getting a handle on promotions and (...) the deep, consistent advertising our children are exposed to on unhealthy foods,” Tedstone said.

Public Health England tells UK government: Sugar taxes do work

By Niamh Michail

All the evidence shows that sugar taxes decrease purchases and curb obesity– but restricting price promotions and junkfood advertising could have an even bigger impact, concludes Public Health England's report to the UK government.

Cargill's EverSweet fermented stevia launch

Will Cargill's EverSweet be a gamechanger for stevia?

By Niamh Michail

Extracted or fermented, blended or pure, stevia can take many forms - and the arrival of EverSweet will mean even more possibilities for positioning the sweetener, says Cargill. But will it get past the EU's regulatory roadblocks?

UK agency launches €13.5 m reformulation competition

By Niamh Michail

The UK government is calling on businesses, scientists and agricultural producers to submit their proposals for salt, sugar, fat and fibre reformulation with the chance to win up to €13.5 m in funding.

Finland set to scrap tax on sweets and ice cream

Finland set to scrap tax on sweets and ice cream

By Nathan Gray

The Finnish government has said a tax on sweets and ice cream in the country will be scrapped at the start of 2017 after the European Commission said the tax unfairly advantaged producers within the country.

Malcolm Clarke of the Children's Food Campaign slammed the government's refusal to consider a tax on sugary drinks as 'absurd'.

UK government rules out sugar tax

By Niamh Michail

The British government has no plans to tax sugary drinks, despite an online petition receiving more than the 100,000 signatures required to spark a parliamentary debate on the issue.

A diet high in processed food was one of the risk factors associated with early death.

Poor diet is biggest contributor to early death globally

By Niamh Michail

Poor diet and high blood pressure are the top two contributors to early death around the world, with high salt intake a ‘key component’ in raising blood pressure, according to a study published in Lancet Journal.

Heinz drops healthy claim from sugary baby food

By Niamh Michail

Heinz has removed the word ‘healthy’ from adverts for sugary biscotti for babies – but the campaigner who filed the complaint has slammed the powerlessness of advertising regulators and impunity of Heinz as the word will remain on the packaging.

Manufacturers need to think about fructose bad press and reformulate fast, says analyst

Will fructose follow trans fats’ fate?

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Mounting scientific evidence and a shift in public opinion could mean fructose is set to follow the same black-listed fate as trans fats, argues an analyst.

Sweden to inform future children's nutrition policy with 3,000-strong survey

Sweden to take 2-day snapshot of kids’ diets

By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The Swedish Food Authority (NFA) will look at what 3,000 children eat and drink over two days as part of a study into the diets of the country's youth. 

Consumers are highly susceptible to the symbolic information that food marketers may specifically use on labelling to promote their products, write the researchers.

The power of symbolic wording on a food label

By Niamh Michail

Symbolic information on a food label can change the perception of a product – even when consumers are aware that this perception is false, write researchers.

Women are more likely than men to have concerns over food safety and food issues in general, says the report.

Sugar tops UK food concerns

By Niamh Michail

The amount of sugar in food is the top food concern for UK consumers, according to a Food Standards Agency survey.

Private label nutrition equal to national brands

Private label nutrition equal to national brands

By Niamh Michail

There are no major differences in nutritional content between private labels, national brands and hard discount goods – although private labels come out top for nutrition labelling, according to a French government study.

Some people may be born with a weak sweet taste, the researchers found

Sweet taste perception may be (partly) genetic

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Some people may perceive sweet tastes as weaker than others – perhaps leading them to add more sugar or sweetener to gain the same level of sweetness, new research suggests.

5% sugar reduction 'dramatic' for some on Twitter

SACN report

Twitterati: industry should lower sugar after SACN

By Nicholas Robinson

Manufacturers must do more to help consumers halve their overall energy intake from free-sugars to less than 5%, commentators on Twitter have urged after the release of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's report on carbohydrates today.

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