Supermarket executives have issued a stark warning that Labour's proposed sugar crackdown could lead to tomatoes and fruit being stripped from popular products like pasta sauces and yoghurts. Government plans to label thousands of items containing sugar as 'unhealthy' would create a perverse incentive for manufacturers to replace natural ingredients with artificial alternatives, according to food industry leaders.
New Classification System Sparks Concern
Last week, health officials unveiled updated proposals to tackle junk food consumption, including a significant revision to the classification system determining what qualifies as healthy versus unhealthy. The new methodology would place 'free sugars' - those released from fruit and vegetables during pureeing processes - in the same category as salt and saturated fats.
Food industry representatives argue that including these free sugars in nutritional calculations would encourage companies to remove natural products from their recipes. Stuart Machin, chief executive of Marks & Spencer, described the plans as 'nonsensical' in comments reported by the Sunday Telegraph.
Manufacturers Voice Opposition
Machin explained that the proposed changes 'encourages us to remove fruit purees from yoghurts or tomato paste from pasta sauces and replace them with artificial sweeteners'. This sentiment was echoed by a spokesperson for Mars Food & Nutrition, makers of the popular Dolmio pasta sauces, who warned of 'unintended consequences for consumers, such as vegetable and fruit purees and pastes being replaced with ingredients of lower nutrient density'.
Health officials are currently considering whether to implement this new classification system, officially called the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), as part of the junk food advertising ban. This could mean products containing fruit and vegetable purees join crisps, sweets and biscuits in facing advertising restrictions between 5:30am and 9pm.
Nutritional Consequences Feared
Kate Halliwell, chief scientific officer at the Food and Drink Federation, expressed concern that companies might reduce fruit and vegetable content in recipes to avoid restrictions. 'Given the majority of the UK population are already struggling to reach their recommended five-a-day and daily fibre intake, we're concerned that an unintended consequence of this policy could be that it makes it even harder for consumers to achieve this,' she stated.
An Asda spokesperson added that the plans would 'confuse customers, undermine data accuracy, and slow our progress helping customers build healthier baskets, aligned to our 2030 healthy sales target'.
Broader Health Strategy Context
The proposed overhaul forms part of Labour's wider crackdown on obesity and their comprehensive 10-year health plan. Machin further criticised the approach, stating: 'What we've seen so far on the NPM is nonsensical - not only does it completely stretch the definition of "junk food", it also causes real confusion, never mind more bureaucracy and regulation.'
A Department of Health spokesperson defended the proposals, noting: 'Most children are consuming more than twice the recommended amount of free sugars, and more than one in three 11-year-olds are growing up overweight or obese. We want to work with the food industry to make sure it is the healthy choices being advertised and not the "less healthy" ones so families have the right information to be able to make the healthy choice.'
Industry Reformulation Efforts
Earlier this week, a report from Danone - manufacturers of probiotic yoghurts and drinks - warned that consumers are becoming 'overwhelmed' by conflicting advice about what constitutes healthy food. James Mayer, President of Danone North Europe, commented: 'While the NHS 10-year plan rightly places a greater emphasis on the link between good nutrition and better health outcomes, we're concerned other recent policy proposals, once implemented, may add to consumer confusion.'
Mayer highlighted that 'industry has invested heavily in product reformulation - reducing fat, salt, and sugar to offer consumers healthier choices at the checkout. If those same products are suddenly reclassified as "unhealthy", it undermines that effort and sends mixed messages to consumers.'
Balanced Diet Guidelines
The NHS recommends that meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain. Key dietary guidelines include:
- Eating at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
- Consuming 30 grams of fibre daily through whole grains, fruits and vegetables
- Including dairy or alternatives, beans, pulses, fish, eggs and other proteins
- Choosing unsaturated oils and spreads in small amounts
- Drinking 6-8 cups of water daily
- Limiting salt to less than 6g and saturated fat to 20g for women or 30g for men
The current debate highlights the complex balance between encouraging healthier eating habits and creating unintended consequences that might reduce natural fruit and vegetable consumption in processed foods.
