Food: Labelling

In the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government committed to updating the standards behind the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products by applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM). The Government published the new NPM on 27 January. The new NPM is built on the latest science and has been updated in line with the latest dietary advice, particularly in relation to free sugars, which are more strongly correlated with poor health outcomes, including obesity.

A full public consultation on the proposed application of the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions closed on 17 June. This consultation sought feedback on the impact and challenges of applying the new NPM, including on the effectiveness of the restrictions in capturing products of most concern to children’s health.

A consultation-stage impact assessment was published alongside the consultation. The impact assessment indicates that if the calorie reductions are achieved, it could reduce cases of childhood obesity by up to 110,000, on top of their existing health benefits of these policies.

The impact assessment takes account of likely consumer behaviour, using recent purchasing data and modelling which includes assumptions about how consumers and businesses may respond to the restrictions. This could include consumers switching between products and retailers using alternative promotional activity. These assumptions were tested through sensitivity analysis.

We will use evidence from the consultation to inform final policy decisions and the final impact assessment which, subject to the outcome of the consultation, would be published ahead of any changes being made.

Detailed impact assessments for the current advertising and promotions restrictions can be found on the GOV.UK website. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the restrictions and will publish Post Implementation Reviews within five years of the restrictions taking legal effect.