The government has defended its Responsibility Deal, after a leading health body said pledges by food producers to cut satfats in their products were “a drop in the ocean”.
On Saturday, major food companies and a number of UK retailers pledged to reduce or seek to reduce the amount of saturated fat in certain food products
Nestlé said it had reformulated the satfat content of Kit Kat bars, while Tesco said it would remove 32 tonnes of saturated fat from its products and Morrisons pledged to remove around 50 tonnes of satfat by reformulating its spreads. Other companies that committed to reducing satfat levels include Aldi, Subway, Compass, Mondelez and Sainsbury’s.
However, the president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, Professor John Ashton, said that although it was “a good thing” companies were making food with less saturated fat than before, the announcement was “a drop in the ocean”. He called on producers to “lower the sugar and salt that they have used to make foods more tasty as a result of lowering the fat content”.
“We cannot rely on the voluntary approach of the Responsibility Deal to solve this problem,” Prof Ashton added. “It now lacks credibility and can be seen as a feeble attempt by the industry to save face.”
A Department of Health spokesman said today: “We know there is more to be done but this pledge will make a huge difference to our health.
“This is an important step forward. By reducing the amount of saturated fat in everyday foods, manufacturers and retailers are helping us lead healthier lives.
“We have already made huge progress through the Responsibility Deal — there are reduced salt levels in many products, calories on high-street menus and better information about alcohol units and drinking guidelines.”
Announcing the satfat pledges on Saturday, newly installed public health minister Jane Ellison said: “It’s hugely encouraging that companies providing almost half of the food available on the UK market have committed to this new Responsibility Deal pledge and they are leading the way to give their customers healthier products and lower-fat alternatives.”
Tam Fry, spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, said: “The Department of Health announcement is a step in the right direction - but it is nowhere near enough. Its latest piece of hype will still mean that over half of our food will still have excessive levels of saturated fat in it.
“The much-vaunted voluntary Responsibility Deal will never succeed: the government should insist that everyone signs up to it.”
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