Public Health England has reported that it will engage with all sectors of the food industry to reduce the amount of sugar in foods that contribute most to children’s intakes by 20% by 2020, with a 5% reduction in the first year.
The initial focus will be on the top nine food categories that contribute the most to children’s sugar intakes (yogurts, biscuits, cakes, morning goods (such as croissants, buns and waffles), puddings, ice-cream, breakfast cereals, confectionery, sweet spreads and sauces).
The programme covers products that are intended for the very young and children up to the age of 18 years. From 2017, the programme will be extended to include setting targets to reduce total calories in a range of products and across all sectors.
PHE is also undertaking a programme of work on salt reduction.
