{"id":117137,"date":"2026-02-01T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=117137"},"modified":"2026-02-01T08:14:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T08:14:55","slug":"goodbye-tomato-hello-additives-food-giants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/goodbye-tomato-hello-additives-food-giants\/","title":{"rendered":"Goodbye Tomato, Hello Additives? Food Giants Warn of Recipe Changes Under Labour Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As part of its ten-year health plan<\/strong>, the Labour government is reviewing how foods are classified in relation to their impact on public health. The aim is to strengthen efforts against obesity by tightening advertising rules for foods high in sugar, salt and fat. But the new framework (based on an updated Nutrient Profiling Model) has sparked criticism from major food companies and retailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the centre of the controversy is the inclusion of \u201cfree sugars\u201d in the health assessment criteria. These are sugars naturally present in fruits and vegetables that are released during processes like pur\u00e9eing or mashing. Under the proposed rules, any product with sugar levels exceeding set thresholds could be subject to a ban on advertising before 9pm<\/strong>. That restriction would extend to staple products such as fruit yoghurts and pasta sauces, which often include tomato paste or fruit pur\u00e9e.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Industry Leaders Raise Concerns over Unintended Effects<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Several voices from the food sector have spoken out against the updated classification system. Stuart Machin<\/a>, Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer<\/strong>, described the move as \u201cnonsensical\u201d, claiming it encourages the removal of natural ingredients in favour of artificial substitutes. According to Mr Machin, \u201cCustomers <\/strong>have told us that they want recognisable store-cupboard ingredients in their products, but the inclusion of \u2018free sugars\u2019 in the new model encourages us to remove fruit purees from yogurts or tomato paste from pasta sauces and replace them with artificial sweeteners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to The Telegraph, Mars Food & Nutrition, the maker of Dolmio pasta sauces, has also expressed concern. A company spokesperson warned the reform could lead to \u201cunintended consequences for consumers\u201d, with nutrient-rich vegetable <\/a>and fruit pur\u00e9es potentially replaced by lower-quality ingredients to comply with the new regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retailers such as Asda echoed the sentiment, stating the proposed rules would \u201cconfuse customers, undermine data accuracy, and slow our progress helping customers build healthier baskets<\/em>\u201d. According to the Food and Drink Federation<\/strong>\u2019s Chief Scientific Officer, Kate Halliwell<\/a>, the public is already struggling to meet the recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables. She cautioned that the changes \u201ccould make it even harder for consumers to achieve this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Classification May Alter How \u2018Junk Food\u2019 Is Defined<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The proposed changes are part of a broader strategy aimed at curbing obesity and easing the financial strain on the NHS, which currently spends \u00a311 billion<\/strong> annually on obesity-related health issues. The updated Nutrient Profiling Model is being considered for wider application beyond snacks and sweets, which are currently subject to pre-watershed advertising restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If implemented as described, the redefinition of unhealthy foods would not only apply to processed snacks but also to a broader range of everyday products that contain pur\u00e9ed or mashed fruits and vegetables. These could include ready meals, sauces and even fruit juices, making them ineligible for advertising before 9pm<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma Lewis<\/a> from Danone expressed concern about ongoing regulatory changes, warning that \u201cthe Government risks undermining future investment in reformulation if the goalposts continue to shift<\/em>.\u201d According to the Department of Health and Social Care, these changes are part of a commitment to \u201cbuild a healthier Britain,\u201d despite pressure from food industry stakeholders. A spokesperson added, \u201cWe can\u2019t just sit back and leave increasing numbers of kids to grow up obese and unhealthy<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Government proposals to redefine \u2018junk food\u2019 could lead to natural ingredients like tomato paste and fruit pur\u00e9es being classed as unhealthy. Food industry leaders warn the policy may backfire, encouraging artificial additives over whole foods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":117139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117137"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117140,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117137\/revisions\/117140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}