Lord Pattenasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that health warnings are given on the packaging of food stuffs containing sugar. [HL1517]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)Current European Union food labelling rules do not require pre-packaged foods containing sugar to early health warnings and there are no proposals to introduce such a requirement. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that information on the content of sugars is given in the nutrition label even when such information is not required by law.
The Government are pressing for EU rules to require compulsory nutrition labelling on all prepackaged foods, in a format which gives clear information about levels of fat, sugar and salt.
The FSA is also considering the case for voluntary front of pack sign-posting to help consumers identify healthier options; any such scheme would be likely to take account of fat, sugar and salt content.