Terry Jones, FDF director of communications, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “The article in today’s [February 3] Daily Mail fails to recognise or even mention the Public Health Responsibility Deal, the framework under which government, industry, health organisations and consumer groups work together towards improved public health.”
The FDF was represented on the Responsibility Deal’s food network’s steering group and the papers from these meetings were freely available on the Department of Health’s website, said Jones.
Since 2010 representatives from the food industry and public health campaigners have met successive health ministers under the auspices of the Responsibility Deal. “The significant commitments developed at those meetings to eliminate artificial trans fats and reduce the saturated fat, salt and calorie content of a wide range of foods – as well as providing clear nutrition labelling –have empowered consumers to make dietary choices appropriate to their lifestyle.”
‘Dozens of meetings with ministers’
The Daily Mail claimed fast food companies, supermarkets, restaurant chains and chocolate and fizzy drinks firms have had dozens of meetings with ministers, while health campaigners had been shunned.
Read its article – ‘How food giants sweet talk ministers: Sugar campaigners' fears over 'secret stitch-up' meetings’ – here.
Meanwhile, Alasdair Tucker, the chair of the FDF’s Food Law & labelling Committee, will be taking part in the Food Manufacture Group’s, free one-hour webinar – Food Information to Consumers Regulation: what you need to know – at 11am GMT on Thursday 20 February.
Tucker, head of regulatory affairs at Premier Foods, will explain how one of Britain’s largest food manufacturers is preparing for the changes set out in the Food Information Regulation.