Ministers call for cigarette-style health warnings for ultra-processed foods

Concerns raised in Parliament about the health impact of such products

Ultra-processed foods were linked to to obesity, MPs were told (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Health warnings should be considered on packaging for “highly addictive” ultra-processed foods, according to MPs.

Concerns were raised in Parliament about the health impact of such products which usually contain ingredients that people would not add when they were cooking homemade food.

Conservative former minister Sir Greg Knight (East Yorkshire) said: “There’s a case for looking again at our food-labelling laws and perhaps requiring ultra-processed food to carry a health warning, rather like we require cigarette packets to have to display such a warning.”

One of the issues with ultra-processed food is that it's also ultra-addictive and then people want to have more of it and we can't help ourselves but we don't treat it like other ultra-addictive things like cigarettes and alcohol

SNP MP Carol Monaghan

He added: “If we are to urge that ultra-processed food carries with it a label warning, that warning should be in a typeface large enough to be read without the use of a magnifying glass, so people know what it is they’re buying before they purchase it.”

SNP MP Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West) added: “One of the issues with ultra-processed food is that it’s also ultra-addictive and then people want to have more of it and we can’t help ourselves but we don’t treat it like other ultra-addictive things like cigarettes and alcohol.

“The health implications could be just as serious. Is it time we do that?”

The food supply chain is, quite frankly, endorsing and promoting products that are linked to serious health outcomes

Conservative MP Suzanne Webb

Conservative MP Suzanne Webb, opening the debate in Westminster Hall, said: “Ultra-processed food is food that tends to be high in fat, salt and sugar – food which is highly addictive.

“Awareness of what is ultra-processed food is actually fairly low but they are familiar foods in your shopping trolley.

“They include pizza, ice cream, crisps, mass-produced bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits, carbonated drinks, fruit-flavoured yogurts, pre-packaged meals, sausages and other reconstituted meat products and some alcoholic drinks – including whisky, gin and rum.”

Current advertising regulations are not going far enough to protect children from seeing a significant amount of unhealthy food adverts

Conservative MP Suzanne Webb

Ms Webb warned the foods were linked to obesity and “marketed aggressively to the detriment of our health”, adding: “The food supply chain is, quite frankly, endorsing and promoting products that are linked to serious health outcomes.”

The MP for Stourbridge said she was “slightly disappointed” the Government was delaying its planned ban on two-for-one junk food deals but acknowledged the cost-of-living pressures.

She added: “A good step forward would be to see an advertising watershed.”

A ban on TV advertising of junk food before 9pm had been planned, with Ms Webb adding: “Current advertising regulations are not going far enough to protect children from seeing a significant amount of unhealthy food adverts.”

Conservative former health minister Maggie Throup said: “I believe this country is addicted to ultra-processed foods, similar to the way it was addicted to smoking in past decades.

“We tackled smoking addiction by intervention, it is now time to tackle ultra-processed food addiction by intervention too.”

Health minister Neil O’Brien said the Government is looking at concerns linked to ultra-processed foods.

He said: “Our existing policies support less consumption of many of the foods that would be classified as ultra-processed because they are high in fat, salt and sugar – we know they are a problem and that’s why we regulate in the way that we do.

“But it’s absolutely vital we take a considered and very robust approach to the emerging evidence on the question of what ultra-processing is doing.

“That is exactly what we’re now doing. We will not hesitate to take action if the evidence suggests that is needed.”