Memorandum by British Soft Drinks Association
(WP 05)
The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) represents
the collective interests of UK manufacturers and franchisors of
soft drinks, including carbonates, dilutables, still drinks, energy
and sports drinks, fruit juices and bottled waters.
RESPONSE TO
QUESTIONS POSED
BY THE
SELECT COMMITTEE
1. Will the proposals enable the Government
to achieve its public health goals?
Goals enumerated in the White Paper:
— The overall goal of the white Paper
appears to be an improvement in the health of individuals by making
healthier choices easier, based on informed choice with special
responsibility for children.
Food related goals:
— by early 2006 for there to be a clear,
straightforward coding system for food labels;
— developing "healthier"
foods;
— funding national campaigns to promote
positive health information and education;
Delivery is crucial and the White Paper acknowledges
that the delivery plan for diet and nutrition will be included
in the Action Plan on Food and Health which has not yet been published.
It is therefore difficult to provide conclusive answers to the
questions posed by the White Paper.
In general, achieving the Government's goals
will depend on: partnership between a number of players; providing
information to which people can relate and in a way which motivates
them to make the desired changes; providing support to effect
changes; and taking a multifactoral approach.
The BSDA believes that its members make a positive
contribution to these objectives:
— by offering a wide range of choice
to meet individual needs and tastes;
— by providing essential liquid refreshment
in convenient packaging with wide availability.
It supports informative labelling and believes
that nutrition labelling should be clearly and meaningfully presented.
It does not believe, however, that nutrition information should
be over-simplified as it is important that people are able to
construct balanced diets to meet individual needs and tastes.
The Government will need to undertake an extensive public education
campaign to ensure that consumers are able to use the information
provided.
It would not wish to see action by Government
which might reduce this choice or the availability of soft drinks,
including fruit juices and bottled waters, as this would be detrimental
to consumer choice and could be counter-productive in terms of
balanced nutrition.
2. Are the proposals appropriate and will
they be effective?
Government proposals to "make healthier
choices easier" are not sufficiently detailed to enable BSDA
to respond to the above question with precision. The planned initiatives
in the White Paper require considerable discussion and development
in order to be implemented.
The Government's overall objective is to influence
consumer choices and for initiatives to work and be effective
in the longer term, they must inspire the commitment and confidence
of all involved. The following principles therefore seem essential:
— strong coordination between Government
departments;
— initiatives should be evidence-based
and capable of practical implementation;
— terminology should be clearly defined
and accurate;
— messages should be positive;
— clear objectives and targets should
be set against which to measure action and results;
— the diversity of individual needs
and nutritional requirements must be taken into account;
— education about balanced diets needs
to be prioritised;
— the close involvement of parents,
educators and primary health-care resources is vital.
If such principles are established and respected
then a workable framework for devising initiatives could be achieved.
January 2005
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