Sugar cubes

New FDF director general Ian Wright has called for a face-to-face meeting with NHS boss Simon Stevens – and accused him of likening sugar to poison.

In a BBC interview on Sunday, NHS chief executive Stevens had urged food and drink companies to submit to sugar reduction targets and tackle the obesity crisis, which he described as “the new smoking”.

Now, in an open letter to Stevens, Wright has accused him of failing to recognise the efforts of businesses involved in reformulation and of falsely demonising an everyday ingredient, adding that companies were “proud” of the achievements of the Responsibility Deal.

 Obesity is a complex problem that cannot be reduced to the demonisation of one ingredient, nor can it be right that an everyday ingredient such as sugar is characterised as a poison.

“You are right to encourage all parties, including the food industry, to play an active role in tackling obesity,” wrote Wright. “However, we believe obesity is a complex problem that cannot be reduced to the demonisation of one ingredient, nor can it be right that an everyday ingredient such as sugar is characterised as a poison.”

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment that all parties should have an active role in tackling the problem,” he continued. “For many years, FDF members have taken a responsible, proactive and collaborative approach to public health. We have reduced calories through recipe reformulations, including sugar and saturated fat reductions, to iconic products and changed portion sizes. In particular, through the use of low-calorie sweeteners, significant reformulations have been made in carbonated beverages, dairy desserts and yoghurt, confectionery and table-top sweeteners.

And he added: “We are fully committed to working with government to ensure industry is part of the solution. There is no simple answer to the complex problems of obesity; a healthy lifestyle must include both a balanced diet and physical activity.”

Despite widespread speculation that the government is poised to ditch the Responsibility Deal, in favour of a tougher approach on public health including targets on sugar and a crackdown on marketing to children, the Department of Heath claimed it had made “great progress”.

“This has included successful work reducing salt and calories and removing a billion units of alcohol,” said a spokesman. “Tackling obesity is a major priority for this Government, and our next steps will be announced shortly. In the meantime, we will continue to work closely with industry.”

Sources at Number 10, meanwhile, have re-iterated the government’s opposition to calls for a sugar tax, despite the plan being actively explored by Public Health England.