The statement follows Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s warning that the industry needs to cut down on sugar and salt in products and that ‘‘all options are on the table’’, including a sugary drinks tax.
Ms Ardern yesterday reiterated new Health Minister David Clark’s position in not ruling out regulation or a tax.
‘‘Industry should know we are pretty serious about making sure this is dealt with,’’ Ms Ardern said.
‘‘We know we have got a problem and I think people would be surprised by how much sugar is being placed in everyday items.’’
Ms Ardern said a sugary drinks tax was not the only answer, given the high sugar content across other processed foods.
‘‘We want to work with industry to try and get that rate of use down. Try and encourage industry to do that themselves. But we are leaving all options on the table.
‘‘We are making sure we use some of the options that still exist before considering a sugary drinks tax.
‘‘There are examples in the UK where they got salt down dramatically by working alongside industry. We should make use of those options.’’
But New Zealand Food & Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich said yesterday members were guided by consumers’ choices and were already reformulating products and developing new ones to reflect an appetite for healthier foods.
‘‘The No 1 consumer trend over the past five years has been for food and drinks that are lower in salt, fat or sugar, or in a ‘better for you’ category.
‘‘There are more low- or no-sugar products on the market now than at any time in New Zealand’s history, and the work continues, with sugar-reduction programmes for current products and new product development.’’
She said the council looked forward to sharing its success stories with the new Government.
‘‘The reformulation work has not just been for sugar. In the breakfast cereal and bread categories there have also been significant reductions in sodium.’’
Dr Clark earlier said his preference was to work with the industry to develop a better front-of-pack labelling system, and to set firm goals to reduce sugar content in packaged food.
He said there was ‘‘growing evidence’’ of the effectiveness of a sugary drink tax, but such a step was not a silver bullet because it was focused only on drinks.
‘‘I want to talk with industry first before going down any track like that.’’
One likely change will be to labelling on food packaging.
At present there is a health star rating system that is meant to signal healthiness by the number of stars on the packet.
Dr Clark said there was a flaw in the voluntary system, in which manufacturers could ‘‘cancel out’’ the effect added sugar and other unhealthy ingredients had on a star rating if the product contained healthier ingredients such as grains.
But Mrs Rich said her council hoped the Ministry for Primary Industries would brief Dr Clark on how the health star algorithm works.
‘‘Advice that he’s received, that the system ‘cancels out’ sugar, is not correct.
‘‘In fact, it’s harsh on sugar content,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s important to understand that some products will continue to have a higher sugar rating, particularly when they contain fruit or honey.’’
Professor of population nutrition and global health at the University of Auckland Boyd Swinburn said Labour was right not to rule out tough action, including a sugary drinks tax.
'‘It is actually very refreshing to see a Government that is prepared to look at the evidence and look at every possibility that’s on the table that’s been recommended,’’ Swinburn said yesterday.
