Only 3% sugar cut out from food products in three years, PHE finds

Public Health England study likely to accelerate calls for further measures such as sugar tax

• What is England’s sugar target and why has the food industry missed it?

The food industry has cut out only 3% of sugar from supermarket, cafe and restaurant products over the last three years, according to a damning report from Public Health England that has triggered calls for taxes or other compulsory measures to be introduced.

PHE launched its flagship sugar reduction programme in 2016 with a mission to help reduce childhood obesity levels by introducing a voluntary target for the food industry to remove 20% of sugar by 2020. But the third year of data, gathered before the coronavirus outbreak – suggests the target is unattainable without a “big stick” such as taxation.

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