Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum

This conference discussed latest thinking and developments on what more can be done to reduce high fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS) consumption in the UK - with a focus on the ongoing policy discussion, advertising regulation, and priorities for industry.

It followed publication of the Government’s Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s green paper - which included Chapter 3 of the childhood obesity plan - and set out plans on front-of-pack nutritional labelling, nutritional content of commercially available baby food and drinks, revised salt reduction targets to be released in 2020 for industry to achieve by mid-2023 and reducing sugar.

Sessions brought out latest thinking on the practical challenges of product reformulation.

It followed the progress report from PHE in September on the sugar reduction programme which found a varied picture, with:

• some progress by manufacturers and retailers in specific food categorises including spreads, sauces, breakfast cereals, and yoghurt products, but missed opportunities elsewhere, including in chocolate confectionary, cakes, biscuits, and puddings; and
• indications of better good progress in the out of home sector on sugar reduction.

Delegates discussed the remaining issues and next steps for reformulation - including the options building on the relative success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, and the role of voluntary sugar reduction targets going forward.

Discussion looked at engaging with consumers and overcoming cost barriers to reformulation.

The seminar came following findings from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report on Saturated fats and health which maintained current advice that saturated fats should make up no more than around 10% of dietary energy and recommended swapping saturated fats with unsaturated fats, with correlations found between high saturated fat consumption and raised blood cholesterol as well as risk of heart disease.

It also followed the Chief Medical Officer being asked to review what more is required to meet the Government’s target of halving child obesity by 2030 and publishing her report Time to Solve Child Obesity on the day of the seminar.

Attendees also considered the role of broadcasters, media and marketing and the future of HFSS advertisement regulation - with the expected UK Nutrient Profiling Model review that will determine which products are considered unhealthy.

Discussion considered the two closed consultations on advertising restrictions for HFSS products and in-store HFSS product placement and promotions.

Delegates also assessed the practicalities involved in regulating in-store product placement and promotional offers and the wider role of retailers in promoting healthy choices - as well as improving the nutritional content of own brand ranges.

Further sessions looked at local initiatives for boosting community awareness of HFSS, and included case studies from those who have developed healthy eating partnerships and strategies as well as those who have developed innovative planning processes, powers, and advertising restrictions.

Discussion also looked at developing an Out of Home Strategy for Scotland and the impact of the London Food Strategy, which included a plan to ban junk food advertisements on the Transport for London network.

This conference examined the next steps for food packaging and waste policy across the UK.

It took place in the context of the Resources and Waste Strategy which sets out the Government’s approach to reducing food and plastic waste - including setting a target of eliminating avoidable waste of all kinds by 2050.

It provided an opportunity for policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the impact and future balance of industry-led and government-mandated targets; how best to improve the coordination of local collections; and priorities for the new Food Surplus and Waste Champion.

Attendees considered what more can be done to develop and innovate food packaging.

It followed the launch of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee inquiry into plastic food and drink packaging - which seeks to assess the impact of government plastic reduction measures, barriers to innovation and whether more funding and support is needed.

The agenda included latest thinking on what is needed to increase the recyclability of packaging and on reducing packaging whilst maintaining the shelf-life of products.

Delegates also assessed the impact of strategies aimed at changing business practice and consumer behavior, looking at the role of producer responsibility, industry-led schemes and taxation policy going forward.

Discussion reflected key issues from the recent consultations on a plastic packaging tax, reforming UK packaging producer responsibility, the ongoing Courtauld Commitment 2025, and the UK Plastics Pact.

Delegates discussed the challenges associated with the proposed DRS - including design of collection points, potential increased costs and duplicated waste collections - as well as the impact on business and local authorities, with the consultation held on DRS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Further sessions considered whether there should be more alignment on what is able to be recycled across the UK following the consultation on consistency in household and business recycling collections in England - and what more can be done to engage consumers, and support local authorities and environmental services organisations to improve the efficiency of their recycling services.

Delegates also discussed what more retail, the food and farming industries, and food redistribution organisations need to do to drive behaviour change and food waste reduction, as well as how to manage unavoidable food waste.

It came with the Food Surplus and Waste Champion putting increasing pressure on the food industry by asking them to sign up to a pledge committing to reducing food waste.

The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders in the UK food industry and policymakers to discuss the way forward for increasing competitiveness, and how legislation and regulation need to adapt.

It took place at a time of considerable change for farming in the UK, with Brexit potentially having an impact on market access, welfare standards and future subsidy arrangements.

Delegates discussed how best to promote and improve productivity on farm both through policy and through innovative technology and practice.

Attendees discussed how productivity fits into this mix and how best to design a payments system that promotes sustainability, stewardship and enables efficient and competitive farming.

Further sessions looked at what more can be done to ensure farmers are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to deliver effective sustainable land management, drawing on examples of best practice domestically and from international stakeholders.

Delegates also discussed the challenges and opportunities for driving wider technology use on farms, including how to improve the translation of research from industry and universities to the farmgate - including SMEs and small farms - and the opportunities for cross sector collaboration in both boosting research and improving take up.

Following government commitments to further investment in research and development and the rapidly developing role for technologies such as AI, drones, robotics and big data, the seminar also considered how UK agriculture can respond to innovative and disruptive technologies to deliver improved farm productivity and address the barriers to uptake and investment.

This seminar examined key issues for the future of food regulation across the UK.

The agenda looked at the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) modernised regulatory programme  - progress and lessons from its implementation so far and next steps; regulatory developments across Britain with contributions from Food Standards Scotland and the Welsh Government; and the future for global collaboration and regulation - focusing on trade, science and international standards.

Delegates assessed the implementation of the FSA’s Regulating Our Future (ROF) programme which aims to modernise the regulatory system for food to improve flexibility and the ability to respond to technological change, and cater for an evolving and increasingly diverse sector.

Sessions brought out discussion on local responsibilities; powers and resources; impact on environmental health professionals; issues for businesses; rapid response and consumer engagement.

Delegates also looked ahead to next steps for implementation in light of updated priorities outlined by the FSA including the scaling up of online food business registration; moving towards a risk-based approach to regulation with the segmenting of food businesses; changing the regulatory relationship between businesses and local authorities through the Primary Authority National Inspection Strategy; the future funding model for food regulation; and developing a framework for the statutory food hygiene scheme in England.

Further discussion focused on the future relationship with food regulation in Europe and beyond, looking at the potential impact of Brexit on food regulatory systems, and the supply chain, as well as the outlook for new markets - the impact of any future trade deals on food standards, and next steps for policy.