UK challenges drinking yoghurt industry to cut sugar by 20%
Public Health England (PHE), the body that advises the British
government on public health policy for all of the UK, has expanded its
sugar reduction guidelines to include sweetened fermented yoghurt
drinks.
The category covers drinking yoghurt, kefirs, lassis, drinks with
disease risk-reducing claims, including plant stanols and sterols, and
pre and probiotics drinks, including those with functional health
claims.
According to the voluntary guidelines, all players in this category,
including retailers, manufacturers, and businesses that provide drinks
for consumers out of the home, are encouraged to reduce added sugar
content by 20% over the next three years.
This can be attained by changing recipes, reducing the number of
calories in a single portion size, and by encouraging consumers to opt
for products with low or no added sugar.
“Industry is encouraged to focus sugar reduction for the top-selling
products in the fermented (yoghurt) drinks category and/or reduce their
portion size,” wrote PHE in the guidance.
“This will drive a reduction in sugar and calorie intakes as these
products are consumed more regularly and contribute more sugar and
calories to the diet.”
Public Health England will monitor industry progress in September of
this year, with progress reports to be published annually between 2020
until 2022.
A natural allowance
Plain and unsweetened yoghurt drinks have been exempt from the guidance,
and PHE has made an allowance for naturally occurring sugar.
This accounts for a lactose content (the sugar naturally found in milk)
of 3.8 g per 100 ml of fermented yoghurt drink. The sales weighted
average (SWA) total sugar guidelines is therefore based on a 20%
reduction of the added sugar content, rather than 20% of total sugar.
With regard to maximum calorie intake, the PHE recommends the total
number consumed on a single occasion be set at 300 calories by 2021.
Action on Sugar welcomes guidance
Poor diet and nutrition are recognised as major contributory risk
factors for ill health and premature death in the UK, which reports an
adult obesity level of 27%.
The PHE’s supplementary recommendations have therefore been welcomed by
nutrition-focused charity Action on Sugar. “We are pleased to see the
publication of this report on yoghurt drinks,” Action on Sugar
nutritionist Kawther Hashem told FoodNavigator.
“This is because this category of drink is in growth and ensuring there
are no increases in the levels of sugar in products is vital.”
The bigger picture
The supplementary report forms part of PHE’s recommendations to the food industry to cut sugar in 10 categories by 20% by 2020.
Fermented drinking products is recognised as a sub category within the
yoghurts and fromage frais sector of the reformulation programme, which
also targets breakfast cereals; biscuits; cakes; morning goods;
puddings; ice creams, lollies and sorbets; confectionery and sweet
spreads.
When PHE launched the recommendations in 2016, it told industry it wanted to see a 5% reduction by the end of the first year.
The report tracking industry's progress during that first year,
published in May 2018, revealed varying results. Compared to the
baseline year (2015), yoghurt and fromage frais product had reduced
sugar by 6%, and manufacturers of breakfast cereals and sweet spreads
had cut added sugar by 5%.
Given the industry’s hard work and successes in reducing the sugar in
the yogurt and fromage frais category, the industry is well placed to
action these sugar reduction targets for yogurt drinks. We are an
industry characterised by innovation and confident that we can offer
consumers the healthy and nutritious products they want - Judith Bryans,
Dairy UK
However, industry had fallen short on sugar reduction targets in certain
categories. In the biscuits and chocolate confectionery, for example,
no change in sugar levels was recorded. Sweet confectionary reduced
sugar content by just 1%, while added sugar levels in puddings increased
by 1%.
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