"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.
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.
Thinking of food in black and white terms such as ‘health’ and ‘unhealthy’ can hinder weight management by encouraging an 'all or nothing' approach to eating - so what does this mean for food labels?
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 city Brighton is urging food businesses to levy a 10p voluntary sugar tax on sugary drinks in a bid to address “the devastating harm caused by sugar addiction”.
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.
Research highlighting the variation in soft drink sugar content around the world – a difference of as much as 29g sugar (7 teaspoons) per 330ml for the same brand in different countries - has been released by campaign group Action on Sugar.
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.
The UK's Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) will begin a public consultation on new rules for marketing junk food to children in early 2016 amid growing concerns over children's diet, it has announced.
Consumption of sugary drinks that contain high levels of added sugars can lead to excess weight gain and higher risks of developing diabetes and heart disease, says the most comprehensive review of evidence ever undertaken.
FoodDrinkEurope will continue to take a ‘holistic’ approach to improving the health of Europeans with a new commitment to trigger further industry action on making food healthier, it says.
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.
People who drink diet beverages may compensate for the absence of calories in the drinks by feasting on extra food that is loaded with high levels of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, say researchers.
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 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.
Lowering the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) by at least one serving per week could help to improve markers of cholesterol, according to new research in school children.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has put the spotlight back on sugar with a call for a tax on sugary drinks – but industry has accused him of simplifying a complex problem.
Return to school can be an abundant time for food and drink makers, but stakeholder actions are rupturing market safeholds as health concerns rise, says Euromonitor analyst Lauren Bandy in this guest article.
SIG Combibloc & Nestlé Mexico expand ‘Coffee Mate’ range
Beverage portion sizes are decreasing due to consumer concerns about sugar and calorie intake and plant-based alternatives to dairy products are finding a ready market with consumers, according to SIG Combibloc.
When it comes to cutting levels of obesity-related heart disease and death, it’s time to stop counting calories, and start to make simple changes that improve the nutritional value of diets, argue public health experts.
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.
A high energy intake from total fat, saturated fat and monounsaturated fat in middle and older age increases the risk of malnutrition ten years later, say Swedish researchers.
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.
New data on beverage intakes for 187 countries has revealed significant differences in current consumption levels and historic trends for sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices and milk, say researchers.
Modern ‘Western diets’ can lead to poor immune functioning and increased risk of inflammatory conditions, allergy, and auto-immunity, researchers warn.
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.
Stop talking about food taxes like they are some sort of panacea that will alter consumer behaviours overnight, and magically eliminate obesity and diabetes. They won’t.
Experts from both sides of the sugar tax debate have set out their arguments in a ‘head to head’ article in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Where do you stand on the sugar tax issue?
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.
Sugary drinks may cause type 2 diabetes regardless of obesity – and artificially-sweetened drinks or fruit juice are not necessarily healthier alternatives, according to new research.
Consumers and industry have embraced the mid-calorie concept in drinks and are starting to look at its relevance in other product categories, according to stevia supplier PureCircle.
Mars plans to expand capacity at its Veghel plant over the next 10 years to produce miniature versions of its brands as Western Europeans limit their calorie intake.
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.
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.
The UK government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has ditched a 10% upper limit on sugar intake instead recommending that less than 5% of daily energy should come from free sugars.
Ongoing consumer concern about sugar consumption means some consumers are turning away from sweet tastes altogether, according to market research organisation Mintel.
US researchers have created a ‘healthy beverage index’ – a scoring system designed to measure the quality of beverage intake and help prompt healthy drink choices.
The British Medical Association (BMA) is calling for a soft drink tax in the UK, but an industry body says targeting a single category is ‘misguided and unlikely to prove effective.’
Lack of media differentiation between different study designs has helped warp public perception of low- and no-calorie sweeteners, according to registered dietitian and diabetes educator Hope Warshaw.