FDF response to National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS)
9 September 2016
FDF response to National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS)
Food and Drink Federation spokesperson:
“This survey offers a timely reminder of the importance of taking a whole-diet approach to improving the nation’s health. We, on average, need to consume a lot more fruit and vegetables, oily fish and fibre and less saturated fat and sugars. Food and drink producers are taking steps to help customers towards dietary goals, lowering calories from sugars and fats in their products, capping portion sizes, and adding key nutrients such as iron and fibre. We need a national push involving all parties with a stake in improving public health to bring about positive change to whole diets.”
Sugars
“We recognise that although sugar consumption has been declining for years, it’s still too high. These survey results show that during the period measured (2013-14), most age groups were relatively close to meeting the recommended maximum daily intake of sugar set at that time (with overconsumption ranging from 0.1% to 4.2% depending on the age group). The survey shows that sugar consumption by children aged four to 10 dropped during this period.
“In its 2015 report on Carbohydrates & Health, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommended a much lower daily intake, and food and drink producers are responding by increasing activity to lower sugars in their products. We hope to see the fruits of this labour in the next National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).”
Soft drinks
“Soft drink companies have been investing in lower calorie options for years, with nearly 60% of soft drinks sold today being no or low sugar variants. The NDNS shows that consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks has fallen compared to six years ago, quite considerably in children aged four to 10. Kantar data, the most up-to-date data available, show a reduction of 16.2% in the sugar taken home from soft drinks between 2012 and 2016.”
Artificial trans fats
“Food producers in this country virtually eradicated artificial trans fats from their products years ago, with current intakes well within safe limits and at the level we would expect to see from natural sources.”
Notes
- During the period 2013-2014, people of all age groups were advised to consume no more than 11% of their energy intake from non-milk extrinsic sugars.
- Non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) are similar to ‘added’ or ‘free’ sugars and include sugars added by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and honey and unsweetened fruit juice). ‘Non-milk extrinsic sugars’ are typically referred to as ‘free-sugars’.
- Source: Kantar Worldpanel data for the British Soft Drink Association (BSDA) 2016
Contact Anna Taylor, Corporate Affairs Division, at: anna.taylor@fdf.org.uk, or 0207 420 7118.