BHF comment
BHF joins leading organisations in calling for an industry wide sugar and salt levy
We have joined a major new campaign, Recipe for Change, which is calling for the UK Government to implement an industry-wide levy on salt and sugar to help make our food healthier.
Analysis commissioned by the campaign has found that an industry-wide levy on salt and sugar could prevent up to 2 million cases of disease over the next 25 years (worth £77.9 billion to the economy) - including over 1 million cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Average sugar and salt consumption in the UK is consistently above recommended levels, which can have long-term health implications. Eating too much sugar is a major contributor to obesity, while high salt intake increases the risk of high blood pressure - responsible for half of all heart attacks and strokes.
However, most of the salt and sugar we eat is already in the food that we buy. More needs to be done to incentivise the food industry to improve the recipes of our everyday foods, especially those that contribute most to the excess sugar and salt in our diets, like cakes, biscuits, crisps and savoury snacks.
Build on success
This levy would build on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), introduced in 2018. A 2021 study in the British Medical Journal found that the average household bought 30g less sugar per week in the first year after the SDIL was introduced.
However, the Government’s voluntary sugar reduction programme, while seeing some improvements in categories like yoghurts and cereals, saw an overall reduction in average sugar of just 3.5%, compared to a 20% target.
The new modelling shows an industry-wide levy on salt and sugar could reduce average salt intake per adult by up to 0.9g per day (11% of their current intake) and sugar by up to 15g per day (30% of their current intake).
The money raised from a new levy could be used to help families, especially those in more deprived communities, to access a healthier, balanced diet.
The majority of the public support such a measure; a 2022 survey found 73% of the public are in favour of requiring food manufacturers to reduce sugar and salt from everyday foods and 68% support further industry food levies if revenues raised were invested in children’s health.
Our Chief Executive, Dr Charmaine Griffiths, said: “This important analysis provides further evidence of the huge health benefits families stand to gain if we incentivise the food industry to reduce the amount of salt it puts in food. Most of the salt we consume is already in our food before we buy it, and as a result we often end up eating more salt than we realise. This puts us at increased risk of high blood pressure, which is a major cause of heart attack and stroke.”
“The success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy should give the Government confidence that this is the right approach to take. Now is the time to be brave and consider further measures, including levies, which will make healthy eating easier for everyone.”