WIREDGOV

The Food Standards Agency is gathering together businesses from across Northern Ireland to urge them to make the food and drink they produce and serve healthier. The call - aimed at improving people’s health - encourages and supports the industry to take action in reducing the amount of salt, fat and sugar in food.

We know that adults and children in Northern Ireland are eating too much sugar and that most of this comes from food such as confectionary, cakes and biscuits as well as yoghurts and breakfast cereals.* 60% of adults in NI are overweight or obese, a figure which has remained fairly constant for the past decade. Of more concern is the rise in childhood obesity, around 21% of children aged 2 to 15 years are overweight and 7% are obese.** Eating too many calories, whether they come from fat or sugar, can lead to weight gain and ultimately obesity.

The FSA is calling on industry to make food healthier by:

• reformulating products to lower the levels of sugar, salt or fat in foods
• reducing the portion size, and/or the number of calories in single-serve products
• shifting consumer purchasing towards lower or no added sugar products

To help small and medium businesses reduce the levels of sugar in certain food they sell, the FSA in partnership with Invest NI are urging businesses to take advantage of the innovation voucher scheme which provides £5000 funding for technical expertise to innovate their products to make them healthier.

The FSA is also encouraging greater use of red, amber and green traffic light nutrition labelling on the front of food packets. Additionally, work is taking place with local cafes, restaurants and canteens to display calories on menus so that people have the information they need to make healthy choices when eating out. 

Heather Hancock, Food Standards Agency Chairman, yesterday said: 'It's really important that everyone involved plays their part in tackling obesity and helping the public to choose a healthier diet. That's partly about making sure information about food is widely available and easy for consumers to find. It's also about practical steps to help industry do more. I am delighted that, today, we are announcing the FSA's support, in partnership with Invest NI, for innovation in this area. This scheme offers up to £5000 funding for food businesses to get the technical expertise needed to make their products healthier.'

References

*National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Results from Years 1-4 (combined) of the Rolling Programme (2008/2009 – 2011/12): Northern Ireland
**Health Survey Northern Ireland:  https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/hsni-first-results-15-16.pdf

More information

Northern Ireland baseline dietary health report: infographic (1.05 MB)

Food product improvement within Northern Ireland