ROUNDTABLE The excessive consumption of sugars: a health issue Hosted by MEP Nessa Childers Organised in collaboration with SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe 28 June 2017 - European Parliament, Brussels
Minutes
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Table of content Expression of gratitude and apologies ................................................................3 Welcome & Introduction ................................................................................4 SAFE’s Sugar Project: Reducing excessive sugars consumption for European consumers .....6 1.
Presentation of SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe ........................................6
2.
Sugars daily intake recommendations ........................................................6
3.
Health related risks of sugars overconsumption ............................................7
4.
SAFE’s Sugar Project: 5 actions................................................................7
Nestle’s sugars reduction ...............................................................................9 Questions & Answers ....................................................................................9 Sugars reduction initiatives in Europe: context, challenges and opportunities .............. 10 1.
The undergoing situation and WHO recommendations ................................... 10
2.
Available policy options to encourage a reduction of added sugars consumption ... 11
Question and Answers ................................................................................. 12 Sugars related policies in DG Health and Food Safety............................................ 13 1.
The European Commission’s regulatory actions ........................................... 13
2.
Non-regulatory actions of the European Commission regarding sugars ................ 14
Questions & Answers .................................................................................. 16 Sugar in All Policies: Opportunities for MEPs to address excessive sugar consumption ..... 17 1.
Marketing ....................................................................................... 17
2.
Sugars under the Common Agricultural Policy............................................. 17
3.
Nutrition claims and nutrient profiles ...................................................... 17
4.
More experiments on front pack labels..................................................... 18
5.
Alcohol labelling ............................................................................... 18
6.
Promote a VAT health-based system ....................................................... 18
7.
Conclusion ...................................................................................... 18
Questions & Answers .................................................................................. 19 Conclusions ............................................................................................. 20
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Expression of gratitude and apologies Before starting the minutes of the roundtable “The excessive consumption of sugars: a health issue” held on the 28th of June 2017 at the European Parliament in Brussels, SAFE would like to kindly thank MEP Nessa Childers for hosting this event but also the guest speakers Dr Luminita Hayes, Ms Alexandra Nikolakopoulou and Mr Nikolai Pushkarev for participating in the event and Mr Sarantis Michalopoulos for being the moderator during the debates. SAFE would also like to express apologies from Ms Leen Meulenbergs and Pr Vlad Ratziu, guest speakers to the event, for not being able to participate.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Welcome & Introduction by MEP Nessa Childers, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament
“Dear friends and colleagues, May I start by thanking you for joining us today at this roundtable, together with Safe Food Advocacy Europe (SAFE). What brings us here today is a shared concern with an increasingly serious health issue: excessive sugar consumption. Everybody knows that excessive consumption of sugar is unhealthy. Nonetheless, this aspect of contemporary dietary habits has become an ever more serious public health issue. Numerous scientific studies, including from World Health Organisation, point to excessive consumption of sugar as a major factor in obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay, which affect an increasing number of people. More than one fifth of Europe’s population suffers from obesity and this share is expected to rise to 50% by 2030. The prevalence of diabetes is also on the rise. A screening project of tens of thousands of citizens carried out over four years in my home country, Ireland, found that 17% had abnormal blood sugar levels, diagnosed pre-diabetes in 10% of this sample. Tooth decay is now the main reason of hospitalisation of children in the UK. Those diseases, often caused by excessive sugar consumption, represent a major burden on the budget of EU member states’ health care systems and if we do nothing to change this, it will only increase. This is why it is important to persevere with awareness raising campaigns and to encourage the food industry to diminish the amount of sugar in its products. In that regard, I am thankful for the work carried out by SAFE, who take action by dispensing training in schools, encouraging change in the industry and looking into other solutions, such as sugar labelling. Nonetheless, the means of NGOs are scarce, and if we really want to improve the health prospects of future generations, we need to encourage the EU and its member states to empower civil society and put in place consistent public health policies.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
I hope that today’s presentations will help you realise the full extent of the challenge we face with this issue and that solutions are within reach. Thank you. Nessa Childers”
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
SAFE’s Sugar Project: Reducing excessive consumption for European consumers
sugars
by Floriana Cimmarusti, Secretary General of SAFE - Safe Food Advocacy Europe
1. Presentation of SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe Ms Cimmarusti began her intervention by presenting the NGO SAFE - Safe Food Advocacy Europe, its objectives, missions and members. SAFE is a non-profit independent organization, whose objective is to ensure that consumer’s health and concerns remain at the core of the EU’s food legislation especially by raising public awareness and strengthening consumers’ voice in the EU debate. SAFE’s members are currently spread over 8 EU countries and include national consumer, food, health, vegan and vegetarian associations and individual members such as doctors, independent research scientists and nutritionists. To date, SAFE’s membership collectively represents the voice of over 1 000 000 European consumers.
2. Sugars daily intake recommendations To explain the reasons why SAFE is focusing this year on consumers’ sugars intake, Ms Cimmarusti quoted the British physicist and chemist Stephen Hawking: “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge”. Many European consumers believe they are informed on the health-related risks of sugars overconsumption but in fact the majority do not really understand what is at stake, primarily because they do not have access to the accurate information. Ms Cimmarusti reminded the audience of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Recommendations about sugars daily intake: a maximum of 10 % of total energy intake representing 48 grams of sugars (12 teaspoons) for adults. The WHO recommendations were compared to the actual sugars consumption of the Belgian population which is about 100 grams of sugars per day (25 teaspoons) for adults1
1
Portail de l’agriculture Wallonne SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
and 80 grams (20 teaspoons) for children2. In other words, the Belgian population is eating twice the amount of sugars recommended by the WHO.
3. Health related risks of sugars overconsumption Ms Cimmarusti explained the different health risks related to an excessive daily sugars intake. According to the WHO, 1.3 billion persons are overweight and 600 million are obese, representing 13% of the global adult population. This entails about 2.8 million deaths per year in the EU. The numbers of childhood obesity are also worrying given that 1 in 3 children aged 11 years old is overweight or obese in the EU3. With the objective set by the EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity4 to halt the raise of obesity and overweight in children and young people by 2020, the Maltese presidency of the Council reminded in a report with the European Commission the major positive role that schools can play in encouraging healthy diets for children5. Apart from obesity and overweight, the most common health issues related to an excessive sugars intake in Belgium are tooth decay (affecting 50% of children)6 and type 2 diabetes7. Studies show that the overconsumption of sugars may also increase risks of developping certain types of cancers8 and cardiovascular diseases9.
4. SAFE’s Sugar Project: 5 actions Ms Cimmarusti presented SAFE’s Sugar Project which aims to address the issue of health risks related to an excessive sugars consumption and includes 5 different actions: 1. Increasing consumers’ awareness (communication materials: flyers, video, etc.); 2. Improving the Food Information to Consumers (FIC) Regulation regarding sugars information on food packaging;
2
IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health Effects in Children and infants) study from Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology 3 WHO 4 EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity 2014-2020 5 Malta EU 2017, Childhood obesity: Halting the rise – Food for health in schools, 22.02.2017, press release 6 Fondation pour la santé dentaire 7 Action on Sugars 8 National Cancer Institute and American Association for Cancer Research 9 Added Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among US Adults; Quanhe Yang, PhD; Zefeng Zhang, MD, PhD; EdwardW. Gregg, PhD;W. Dana Flanders, MD, ScD; Robert Merritt, MA; Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD; 2014, Journal of American Medical Association, All rights reserved. SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
3. Developing a smartphone application allowing consumers to know the quantity of sugars contained in food products by “scanning” the related barcode; 4. Training children from 8 to 14 years old in Belgian schools by explaining them the health risks related to sugars overconsumption, how to read labels and how to avoid overconsumption (financed by the Ministry of Education, Federation WalloniaBrussels); 5. Encouraging agro-food industries to lower sugars quantities in their products through the SugarControl label (registration before the EUIPO in process). Agro-food industries may only be allowed to use this label under certain conditions and standards. The food product for which the label is sought must be examined by an independent laboratory certify with ISO 17025. The foresaid food product must contain no aspartame and comply with the nutrition claims listed in the Annex of the Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods, amended by Commission Regulation (EU) No 1047/2012 of 8 November 2012: o Sugars free: no more than 0.5 g/ 100 g or mL; o Reduced sugars: the amount of sugars is reduced by a minimum of 30 % compared to a similar food product and the total amount does not exceed 12 g /100 g or mL; o No added sugars: No added mono- or disaccharides or any other food used for its sweetening properties; o Low sugars: no more than 5 g / 100 g for solids or 2.5 g / 100 mL for liquids.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Nestle’s sugars reduction by Bart Vandewaetere, European Affairs Manager at SA Nestlé
Bart Vandewaetere was invited to make a short presentation to show the efforts made by some agro-food industries such as Nestlé to reduce the amount of sugars contained in their products. As an example, from 2000 to 2010, notably through the adoption of a mandatory policy on sugars reduction, the company managed to achieve a reduction of 34% of sugars in products. Furthermore, earlier this year, new commitments have been taken by the company. The significant reduction of sugars was illustrated by statistics regarding five famous brands of the company. For example, Nestlé managed to reduce the amount of sugars contained in infant cereals by 20%. Besides these achievements, Nestlé has also engaged in research and innovation. The research department of the company for instance discovered a sugar (“hollow sugar”) with a specific structure allowing a faster taste and dissolution which could constitute another way to reduce the amount of sugars contained in Nestlé’s products. Finally, Mr Vandewaetere exposed Nestlé’s call for an EU Nutrition Policy such as a legal limit for industrial Trans Fatty Acids or Nutrient Profiles as a condition of use for nutrition and health claims.
Questions & Answers Question addressed to Mr Bart Vandewaetere: For a product to keep its energy rate, despite a reduction of the amount of sugars contained in the said product, it is usually necessary to replace the sugars by another ingredient. Regarding the “Hollow sugar”, how is Nestlé planning to replace the removed sugars from the product? Answer from Mr Bart Vandewaetere: This decision has not been taken yet but Mr Vandewaetere confirms that this is a problem to be addressed. As an example, when achieving the reduction of sugars contained in some of the “Nesquick” products, the company chose to add fibres.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Sugars reduction initiatives challenges and opportunities
in
Europe:
context,
by Dr Luminita Hayes, Senior Advisor, on behalf of Mrs Leen Meulenbergs, the WHO Representative to the European Union
Dr Hayes has thanked the organizers for inviting WHO to speak and greeted the audience on behalf of herself as well as of Ms Leen Meulenbergs, WHO’s Representative to the EU, who sent her apologies for not being able to attend the roundtable due to other responsibilities. She informed the audience that she will be presenting Ms Meulenbergs’ speech.
1. The undergoing situation and WHO recommendations Luminita Hayes stated that sugars overconsumption is a worldwide issue. It is addressed by the WHO as part of its fight against the noncommunicable diseases, which are the leading causes of death in the world. Of the six WHO regions, the European Region is the most affected. The impact is alarming: 86% of the deaths and 77% of the disease burden are estimated in the Region. She explained that there is clear link between noncommunicable diseases and common risk factors, which are hugely increased by demographic changes and lifestyle, and which include weight gain and obesity. The association between consumption of sugarsweetened beverages (SSBs) and weight gain has been well demonstrated by science. Childhood obesity is influenced by factors that include availability, affordability and marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages high in saturated fat, salt and/or free sugar. Also, she explained that another concern is the association with dental caries. WHO developed guidelines to provide recommendations on the intake of free sugars to reduce the risk of NCDs in adults and children, with a particular focus on the prevention and control of unhealthy weight gain and dental caries. Dr Hayes informed the audience that WHO launched Guidelines that include recommendations that can be used by policy-makers to assess current intake levels of free sugars in their countries relative to a benchmark. Some recommendations of the guidelines are strong, some are conditional, based on the quality of evidence analysed. For example, WHO strongly recommends countries to reduce free sugars throughout the lifecourse and in both adults and children, intake of free sugars must not exceed 10% of total energy. More than 20 countries in Europe currently have targets for sugar intake of 10% or less. For countries where the current intake of free sugars is below the 10%, the recommendation is not to increase intake further.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
2. Available policy options to encourage a reduction of added sugars consumption The policy options recommended by the WHO in its European Food and Nutrition Action Plan include: strong controls on marketing, incl. but not limited to TV advertising; fiscal measures and price policies applied to foods and drinks; consumer-friendly front of pack labelling; reformulation, calorie reduction, smaller portions; healthier food retail environment, incl. in schools. - Fiscal measures and price policies applied to food and drinks - Evidence is suggesting the link between fiscal policies and consumption, with impact on body weight and health. Increasing the price of food/beverage through taxes is likely to reduce consumption by same percentage, while subsidies applied to fruits and vegetables, for example, have been shown to increase the healthy food intake. The low-income populations are the most likely to respond to fiscal policies. -
Marketing of food and drink products that are high in fat or salt or sugar (HFSS) to children – This is another important measure, which is included by WHO in a series of guidance documents and reports, including the WHO Europe Nutrient Profile Model launched in 2015. Twenty-two countries in the WHO Euro Region reported measures to regulate or guide marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages to children being implemented. However, more progress is needed in this area to ensure the greatest protection to children. Slovenia recently led by example in introducing the rules of the Nutrient Profile Model into national legislation.
-
Food labelling – It is another important measure where more action is needed. Dr Hayes explained that a small number of countries have already introduced colour coding, interpretative wording and warnings. Recent developments in France with the Nutriscore label have shown once again that the label that performs best among consumers on a range of indicators such as preference and comprehension is one that uses interpretative elements such as colour to guide consumers.
-
Reformulation – It is a new possible direction for sugar reduction. This aims to replace/reduce sugar in foods; to reduce energy density/total calories of product; and to provide choice for consumers and develop new products.
-
School based programmes - An increasing number of countries also consider school as setting for sugar reduction. Thirty-nine countries in the WHO European Region reported school food policies, with standards for foods and beverages, training programmes for school staff, no vending machines in schools, and nutrition education in their curriculum. Dr Hayes gave a few examples: In Portugal, there are Guidelines on Foods. Unhealthy food/beverages are not allowed in vending machines. In Slovenia, vending machines are banned from the school premises. Evidence shows SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
that school food policies are most effective if they apply to all foods available in schools across the school day, which is why inclusion of vending machines is so important if we want to improve dietary intake. Ms Hayes concluded her intervention by emphasizing the key message – that while there is strong evidence for the need to reduce sugar in diet, especially for children, there are available solutions – the policy options taken by more and more countries. Much more action is still needed and sharing experience and learning from each other will help. Dr Hayes expressed WHO’s availability to collaborate with the EU institutions and other stakeholders for ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, at all ages, in the world, by advancing sugar reduction. These efforts are an important means towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals that have been placed by the Member States on their agenda to be achieved by 2030.
Question and Answers Question addressed to Dr Luminita Hayes: Given that consumers with lower income have less access to healthy food products and that it may be difficult for them to switch from chocolate bars to fresh fruits for example, is the reduction of sugars contained in food products and beverages a better solution than trying to change people’s habits? Answer from Dr Luminita Hayes: Dr Hayes emphasised that according to her the best solution is the combination of several policies. She believes that “one policy is not enough!” to move things forward. To be effective and have a positive impact on all categories of the population, relevant policies should be coordinated between each other. Dr Hayes highlighted the necessity to implement awareness campaigns encouraging healthier diets and a reduction of sugars in food products, but also the importance of fiscal measures and packaging/labelling policies.
Question addressed to Dr Luminita Hayes: Don’t you think that new efforts regarding food labelling, for example in France or in the UK (traffic light system) may be confusing for the consumers? Answer from Dr Luminita Hayes: It is important for the consumers to understand the health impact of their food. Translation, standards and solid evidence must be provided to avoid any misleading effect to consumers. SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Sugars related policies in DG Health and Food Safety by Alexandra Nikolakopoulou, Head of Unit E1; Food Information and Composition, Food Waste, DG Health, European Commission Ms Nikolakopoulou started her intervention by stressing that the promotion of a healthy diet has been a concern of the European Commission for many years. Her presentation aims to highlight the regulatory as well as the non-regulatory actions undertaken by the EC on the matter.
1. The European Commission’s regulatory actions An important EU initiative to enable citizens to make informed dietary choices with regard to their sugars consumption is the Food Information to Consumer Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1169/2011). This regulation made it mandatory for producers to list not only the different ingredients present in their products, but also to give nutrition information of a product, including the amount of total sugars. Clear and accurate information is provided to consumers regarding the components of their food products and the quantity of a number of nutritional elements. Another regulatory initiative is related to the nutrition claims made on products. Ms Nikolakopoulou highlighted Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods. This regulation is building on the principle that nutrition and health claims on food products must be scientifically substantiated and should not mislead consumers. This regulation introduced four different nutrition claims regarding the quantity of sugars present in food products: o Low sugars o Reduced sugars o No added sugars o Sugars Free These regulations contribute to giving consumers complete and accurate information about the foods they buy.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
2. Non-regulatory actions of the European Commission regarding sugars The European Commission implements other non-regulatory actions and strategies to tackle excessive sugars consumption of EU citizens. The European Commission adopted the White Paper on a Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity Related Health Issues in May 2007. Here, food reformulation, which means changes in the product recipe, is mentioned as one tool to address unhealthy diets. The EC encourages food industry to innovate and improve the nutrient content of manufactured food in the EU. Ms Nikolakopoulou stressed that a reduction of added sugars with no increase of other nutrients of concern in foods might contribute to reducing excessive consumption of added sugars. The EC aims to promote dietary patterns in line with national, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the World Health Organisation recommendations. Indeed, EFSA underlines that there is some evidence that high intakes of sugars as sugars sweetened beverages might contribute to weight gain. EFSA also noted that the relationship of patterns of consumption of sugars-containing foods to dental caries, weight gain and micronutrient intake should be considered when establishing nutrient goals for populations and when developing food-based dietary guidelines. Ms Nikolakopoulou also addressed Member States’ recommendations regarding added sugars consumption. Most Member States that have quantitative recommendations recommend limiting the consumption of added sugars to maximum 10% of the daily energy intake. One objective of the High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical activities, being composed of representatives of Member States coordinated by the EC would be to reduce the level of added sugars by 10% by 2020, a benchmark that is noted in Annex II of the EU Framework for National Initiatives on Selected Nutrients. In this Annex, there are a number of specific issues described: o
o
o o o o
A reduction of added sugars content in food products without an increase of energy and other nutrients of public health concern in order to improve the overall nutritional quality of food products; For some products, it may be difficult to reduce the added sugars content without increasing energy content. In that case, it would be recommended to consume these products in small quantities and not very frequently. Thus, reducing the portion or the pack size may be a preferred approach compared to reformulation; Overall, it is preferred that sweet taste is reduced, which enables consumers to adapt their palate to lower sweetness levels. Empowering consumers by raising awareness and by providing nutrition information; Consistency of reformulation actions with new product development, as newly developed products should be as nutritionally balanced as reformulated products; Protecting children is of high importance, so reformulation of products marketed to them is crucial. SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Finally, Ms Nikolakopoulou explained that in 2005, the EC launched the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. This platform gathers various actors which are interested in food matters as well as in physical activity and which are willing to take actions for promoting a healthier diet and physical activity. Platform members already took more than 300 commitments to achieve these goals by dealing with different activity types. Among these activity types: o o o
Consumer information including labelling; Education, including lifestyle modification; Composition of food (reformulation), available food options as well as portion sizes.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Questions & Answers Question addressed to Ms Alexandra Nikolakopoulou: Could you please provide us with more information regarding the current infringement procedure against the UK related to the traffic light system of labelling? Answer from Ms Alexandra Nikolakopoulou: The infringement procedure is ongoing along with a dialogue but we cannot know the outcome of this procedure yet.
Question addressed to Ms Alexandra Nikolakopoulou: May even more information be displayed on food labelling? Answer from Ms Alexandra Nikolakopoulou: There are no concrete discussions between the European Commission and the Member States on this topic. Yet, a more comprehensive understanding of labelling and information provided to consumers and their ability to use it would be useful.
Question addressed to Ms Alexandra Nikolakopoulou: May soft drinks be the next step for Annexe II of the Framework? Answer from Ms Alexandra Nikolakopoulou and Ms Stephanie Bodenbach, Head of Sector General food law & nutrition, Unit E1; Food Information and Composition, food waste, DG Health, European Commission: A number of food categories are mentioned in Annex II, among them sugars sweetened beverages. Discussions have taken place with this sector about specific benchmarks, as well as with the dairy and the breakfast cereal sector. There is not a concrete timeline to include specific benchmarks for sugars sweetened beverages or other categories yet in the provisions of the Annex II. The sugars sweetened beverages sector has launched a voluntary commitment to reduce sugars by 2020, such commitments are welcome. Despite that, it is quite clear discussions with sectors will continue.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Sugar in All Policies: Opportunities for MEPs to address excessive sugar consumption by Nikolai Pushkarev, Policy Coordinator for Food, Drink and Agriculture, European Public Health Alliance
The European Public Health Alliance - EPHA is an Alliance of Non-Governmental Organisations (almost 90 organisations) advocating for better health in the EU.
Mr Pushkarev presented a range of options for Members of European Parliament to engage with the sugar reduction agenda.
1. Marketing Mr Pushkarev stressed that sugared products are heavily marketed, especially on television towards advertisement targeting children. Therefore, he mentioned the Audiovisual and Media Services Directive, which provides an important opportunity to reduce the exposure of children to the marketing of sugary products. Mr Pushkarev highlighted that the negotiations on the AVMSD did not result in sufficient protection for children and minors. Despite the file already being in trilogues, there could still be opportunities to improve protection - for instance by restricting advertising of sugary products during hours when children watch most - when the file is voted in the EP plenary.
2. Sugars under the Common Agricultural Policy Mr Pushkarev pointed that sugar quotas under the EU Common Agricultural policy will come to an end in September 2017. This is expected to result in a drop of sugar prices by 15-24%. The latter would make it cheaper for food manufacturers to add sugars in the recipe of their processed food products.
3. Nutrition claims and nutrient profiles Mr Pushkarev underlined that it would be a great step forward to establish a nutrient profile regarding the claim on food products. Indeed, as long as a food product match the general standards of a nutrition claim, producers are allowed to put the claim on the packaging. Even though a product bearing the claim respects the standards, here the problem lays on SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
the fact that nutritional values may vary from one product to another. It would indeed be an improvement to establish nutrient profiles regarding each claim which may be displayed on food product packaging. The lack of nutrient profiles may mask the low overall nutritional quality of a product and thereby mislead consumers.
4. More experiments on front pack labels Following the previous point, Mr Pushkarev suggested that it would be interesting to develop experiments regarding front pack labelling. As an example, he quoted the experiment of the “nutri-score” which is currently on-going in France. Briefly, the “nutri-score” is a label that classifies food products on a scale from A to E (regarding the nutrients which are recommended to eat and the nutrients which must be consumed as part of a healthy diet). Mr Pushkarev stresses that EPHA is supporting this type of initiatives and encourages more experiments of this kind.
5. Alcohol labelling In line with the previous points, Mr Pushkarev put the emphasis on the necessity to implement labels regarding alcohol nutritional values as alcohol consumption is an important contributor to free sugars intake. Consumers should be fully informed of the nutritional values of alcoholic drinks.
6. Promote a VAT health-based system The VAT health-based system would allow setting different VAT rates for food products. Products considered ‘unhealthy’ would be submitted to higher VAT rates compared to ‘healthier’ products with lower VAT. It could become an incentive for consumers to limit their consumption of high sugared products and to opt for healthier products.
7. Conclusion Mr Pushkarev stressed the need to “change the narrative”. Indeed, the narrative of individual choice is an argument which is often used, to say that consumers are aware of the nutritional values of the products and can make fully informed nutritional choices. In reality, food choice is to a large degree shaped by food environments, and this should be better reflected in the way we speak about diets and nutrition. This consideration must be taken into account by public authorities to adapt their recommendations and their actions in the promotion of a healthy diet. SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Questions & Answers Question addressed to Mr Nikolai Pushkarev: Could online labelling be considered as a new mean of informing consumers and avoiding unnecessary food packaging? Answer from Mr Nikolai Pushkarev: It could be interesting to try online labelling under the condition that it is an additional mean of informing consumers not an alternative one. This should be tested to complete the information already displayed on food labelling and not replace it.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu
Conclusions by MEP Nessa Childers, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament
Ms Childers concluded the roundtable by thanking guests and speakers for their attendance and reminded that the issue of sugars overconsumption is a “war zone” because it gathers diverse interests and stakes, some being more considered than others by the relevant stakeholders. Everyone has the right to lobby for its own interests but that makes it all the more difficult for the voices of consumers’ to be heard faced to industrial lobbies.
SAFE – Safe Food Advocacy Europe A.S.B.L. Mundo B- Rue d’Edimbourg 26 1050 Brussels Belgium +32 (0) 28 93 08 96 www.safefoodadvocacy.eu