Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the recent sugar reduction
programme, which challenged businesses to reduce the amount of
sugar in food, did not include bread.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health
and Social Care () (Con)
The sugar reduction programme focuses on those products which
contribute the most to children’s intakes of sugar. Sweeter bread
products such as buns, fruit loaves and bagels are within scope
of the programme. Plain and savoury breads—for example, garlic
bread—are included in the salt reduction programme, as these
products make greater contributions to salt intakes than sugar
intakes. Garlic breads are also included in the calorie reduction
programme.
(Lab)
I thank the Minister for that reply. Sugar is in so many products
these days and is so damaging. As the Minister knows, we have a
crisis with diabetes and with obesity. Does he not agree that we
should endeavour to remove sugar wherever we can? There was no
sugar in bread 60 years ago. Why is there sugar now? Why do the
Government not look at this again and stop it?
(Con)
I pay tribute to the noble Lord. Since my first day at the
Dispatch Box, he has challenged me on both sugar reduction and
alcohol abuse. There comes a stage where it is diminishing
returns. I know that the noble Lord and I are very keen on puns
and dad jokes. When bread is being made, sugar is needed—kneaded;
excuse the pun—because it extends shelf life by reducing the
oxidation which causes food to deteriorate, it reduces the rate
at which bread becomes stale, it activates yeast for
fermentation, it adds the colour during the baking process, and
it adds to the texture. The sugar contributes only about 2% of
free sugars intakes in children. Therefore, it is much more worth
while and targeted to focus on products that are higher in
sugar.
(LD)
My Lords, will the Minister join me in congratulating Tesco and
Sainsbury’s? They have announced that, even though the Government
are backtracking on the proposed ban on volume promotion offers
of foods high in sugar, salt and fat, they will do it voluntarily
anyway, and on time, to support the anti-obesity campaign. Will
he encourage other retailers to join them and to work with their
suppliers to reformulate and reduce sugar?
(Con)
We should welcome moves by those in the industry, including
retailers; if they can meet deadlines earlier, that is all to be
welcomed. Perhaps I might correct the noble Baroness on one
inaccuracy. The Government have not backtracked; we have delayed
location measures until October 2022.
Noble Lords
Oh!
(Con)
Delaying is different from backtracking.
Noble Lords
Oh!
(Con)
Next time I will bring a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Volume price will come in in October 2023 and advertising in
2024. We did that in full consultation with industry, and it is
welcome when industry asks for deadlines and is able to meet them
early.
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, if the Minister is right that the Government are not
backtracking but delaying, perhaps he could persuade the
supermarkets that, instead of reducing the price of foods that
are bad for you, they should reduce the price of good foods such
as fruit and vegetables.
(Con)
That is a very sensible suggestion. Across government, and with
the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, we are trying
to work with both the food-supply industry and retailers to look
at how we can pull customers towards healthier products and work
with companies to reduce sugar, salt and other bad things in
terms of food reformulation to make sure that we have a healthier
population in the longer term.
(CB)
My Lords, in respect of the cost of living crisis and healthy
food, why do the Government not make automatic enrolment in
Healthy Start vouchers immediately happen? At the moment, only
about 60% of people take up this good measure to spend on healthy
food. This would certainly be a good counteraction to the delay
in banning two for the price of one on sugary foods.
(Con)
On the direct question that the noble Baroness asked, I will have
to go back to find out more and will write to her. The Government
are very keen on some campaigns that she will be aware of, such
as the Better Health campaign, launched in July 2020. In January
2022 it took over from Change4Life. We now have the NHS Food
Scanner app; with a quick scan of a barcode, families can see how
much sugar, saturated fat and salt is in their everyday food and
drink. There is also a campaign on on-demand video, as well as on
YouTube, and we encourage people to download the app from the App
Store or Google Play. More campaign resources are available, and
I am sure that noble Lords would like to help promote them.
(Con)
My Lords, the staple food of many people’s day is bread. The
sugar content in the average slice of processed bread varies but
can be up to 3 grams. Sugar is formed naturally in the baking
process, but it is often added into it. The benefits of adding
sugar are favourable for the bread-making process but not for the
people consuming it. Bread can be baked without adding sugar and,
yes, that will indeed alter its texture, taste, freshness and the
speed of its rise. If we look at the ancient history of bread, we
see that making it uses grain and wheat flour; chapatis, naans
and numerous Middle Eastern flatbreads usually do not have sugar
added. These recipes are healthy and are still being consumed
today. Health is wealth; take care of it.
(Con)
Right. I begin by thanking my noble friend for that very
comprehensive question. As I said earlier, some sugar is needed
in the process, but he makes an important point about how we
reduce the unneeded additional sugar that is added. I have
already given the reasons why there is some sugar, and no doubt
the chemical processes will be improved over time: as mankind’s
innovation and ingenuity increase, we will see more substitutes
for sugar. I was also interested in the point made by the noble
Lord about chapatis; next time I go to a restaurant I will ask
about their sugar content.
(Lab)
My Lords, with the UK attending the 75th World Health Assembly in
Geneva as we speak, it is concerning that the Government have
delayed their planned measures to encourage a move away from
foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt. To compensate for
this, particularly for those who are experiencing higher levels
of deprivation, can the Minister tell your Lordships’ House in
what specific ways the Government intend to show the leadership
that is so urgently needed?
(Con)
I thank the noble Baroness for raising that point. Part of my
role is in international health diplomacy, where other countries
come to the UK wanting to learn from us. It is very interesting
that a number of other countries are asking to learn from our
sugar and salt reduction programmes, our alcohol and anti-tobacco
programmes and our campaigns for healthy eating—not just telling
people they should not do things but encouraging them to have a
healthier lifestyle
(CB)
My Lords, the Minister has said that the Government accept the
need for sugar in bread, which is controversial with many
authorities and Members of this House, but they seem to be taking
an extraordinarily long time to accept the fortification with
folic acid of the flour used for bread. As the Minister has heard
many times, this would have undoubted health benefits. Since the
noble Lord, , is not in his place, I felt
the need to ask the question.
(Con)
I would have hoped that the noble Baroness would have lined up
the noble Lord, , to be in his place. Only
yesterday, I had a meeting with him, the noble Lord, , and a number of other noble
Lords, together with departmental officials.
We have to do this within the general picture of the Bread and
Flour Regulations. At one stage, the dispute was about the upper
limit of folic acid. We have agreed that we will push forward as
quickly as possible. We were waiting for the Northern Ireland
elections. It has now been confirmed that the Northern Ireland
Minister will remain in place until a new Executive is formed. He
has promised to push his officials to give approval so that we
can get on with the consultation and get this measure in place as
soon as possible. I hope that the noble Lord, , was happy with the progress we
made yesterday. I am sure he will tell us in due course.
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, addiction to sugar begins very early. It is included in
baby foods. Will the Minister ensure that manufacturers attend to
this sector as a critical component of the Government’s strategy?
Does he accept that many people who are digitally excluded may
not have adequate access to these campaigns and information from
the Government?
(Con)
The noble Baroness makes a very important point. Following our
commitment in the Advancing Our Health: Prevention in the 2020s
Green Paper, we launched a consultation on baby food. We are
aware how important it is to reduce sugar intake. Those aged four
to six should have no more than 19 grams of sugar—five cubes—per
day. From the age of 11, this increases slightly to seven cubes.
This shows the importance of addressing this issue at a very
early age, and we are speaking to manufacturers about possible
formulations.
The Lord Speaker ()
My Lords, for the next Oral Question, the noble Baroness, Lady
Brinton, will be contributing virtually.
