Heather Peace, Head of Public Health Nutrition at Food Standards Scotland, said:
“Food Standards Scotland welcomes the publication of this important report from Public Health England on its sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme, in which the food industry was challenged to remove 20% of sugar in selected food categories by 2020. This first report includes positive evidence of sugar and calorie reduction by some retailers and manufacturers in the last year.
“It is encouraging to see a dramatic fall of 11% of sugar from soft drinks captured by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL). Food Standards Scotland also welcomes publication today of reformulation guidelines for those drinks not captured by the SDIL.
“However, it is clear that all sectors must step up their efforts to help tackle obesity.
“We will continue to work closely with government, industry and people in Scotland to help improve our diet – it’s our joint responsibility to make our future a healthy one.”