Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum

This conference focuses on the regulatory landscape and market prospects for new and emerging novel foods.

Areas for discussion include:

• The regulation of foods that are emerging or newly classified as novel foods - as well as latest developments;
• The role of novel food methods in producing sustainable food and next steps for addressing food system challenges;
• The regulatory response to new product developments in food, nutrition, and health - including the impact of Brexit; and
• Priorities for driving forward innovation and research looking at the potential of novel foods in meeting demand for increased production of healthy food.

It comes with:

• An independent review being carried out for Defra as part of the development of a National Food Strategy looking at challenges such as food security and utilising technology;
• Proposals in the European Parliament for plant-based products to be banned from using meat designations;
• Insect food products receiving novel food status and requiring approval from January 2020; and
• The Food Standards Agency’s recent confirmation that cannabinoids (CBD) foods in the UK will need pre-market authorisation and companies will have to follow novel food processes following the European Commission’s update earlier this year to classify products including CBD as novel, as a history of consumption cannot be demonstrated.

Speakers

There will be keynote contributions from:

• Professor Peter Gregory, Chair, Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes;
• Ruth Willis, Regulated Products Risk Assessment Team Leader, Food Standards Agency; and
• Kathryn Miller, Innovation Lead, Food and Nutrition, Innovate UK.

Further speakers include: Sam Jennings, Institute of Food Science and Technology; Professor Huw Jones, Aberystwyth University; and Sharon Morey, Campden BRI - as well as Sian Edmunds, Burges Salmon; Mike Harlington, Cannabis Trades Association; Dr Nick Rousseau, Woven Network.

The agenda

• Emerging trends in novel foods;
• The potential for novel foods - priorities for research and innovation;
• Managing the introduction of new and emerging novel foods - food safety, the use of descriptors, and developing a regulatory framework;
• The role of novel food methods in producing sustainable food and addressing wider food system challenges;
• Novel food regulation post-Brexit - convergence, opportunities, and priorities:
  
  • The evolving European regulatory landscape;
  • Opportunities for novel foods from biotechnology;
  • Food sector innovation, safety assurance and market access; and
  • Nutritional health claims in novel foods - latest developments.
• Next steps for novel food regulation in the UK.

Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum conferences typically attract strong interest from policymakers. This seminar will be an opportunity for stakeholders to engage with officials from BEIS; CCC; Defra; DFID; DHSC; DIT; Food Standards Agency and the Welsh Government.

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.