The Food Standards Agency has commissioned an independent scientific review of safety risks associated with reducing levels of fat and added sugar in foods.

An initial presentation of details of the study will be made at a meeting of the FSA advisory committee on microbiological safety of foods at the agency's offices in London on 28 September.

The work comes as the FSA switches its attention to cutting consumption of saturated fat and sugar among the public, and follows reformulation work related to salt reduction.

A spokesman for the FSA said it was not yet clear which foods would be looked at by the review team from Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association.

He added: "This will be a preliminary presentation. It's part of the FSA's overall work on fat and sugar. If

we were to look at reducing

levels of these, then we would need to ensure any

reformulations were safe."

Earlier this year, the FSA wrote to industry bodies asking what steps their members had taken to cut fat and sugar levels in their products and what further reductions they could possibly achieve.

Their responses will inform a public consultation on strategies for reducing fat and sugar intake, due to be published later this year.