The Sugar Reduction Summit is taking place once again this year on Thursday 22nd September at The Royal Society in London. This year the event is titled:
The Sugar Reduction Summit; Industry, Regulation and Public Health
Last year there was a great deal of heated debate around sugar and one of the reasons why I really like this event is because it is very balanced. People from industry as well as those from Government, research and campaign groups are all asked to attend and to speak, which makes for very interesting debate panels!
This year speakers include Prof Ian MacDonald, Chair of SACN, University of Nottingham, Cathy Capelin, Kantar Worldpanel, Prof Susan Jebb, Oxford University and Prof Graham MacGregor, Action on Sugar, to name just a few.
The programme is live and available here, with more speakers being added in the coming weeks.
The event organisers have said that they are also delighted to confirm that Prof Ian MacDonald will be speaking at the Summit this year, to provide an update on sugars and the relevance of the SACN sugar report in light of the Childhood Obesity Strategy, two very current topics for debate.
The talks during the conference will also cover the sugar tax, the role of sweeteners and the work that needs to (and is already occurring) in industry around reformulation and regulation and lastly the impact of brexit!
Other key topics at the Sugar Summit this year include:
- Changes in consumer purchasing of sugar and latest data on the gap between targets and consumption
- Can we ever achieve 5% – is it realistic or unachievable? And to what extent will current initiatives help get us there?
- Is the proposed sugar levy compatible with international and EU trade laws?
- What impact can we expect a sugar levy to have on purchasing behaviour – and how will the design of the tax impact this?
- What does new research on consumer attitudes regarding palatability and efficacy of sweeteners tell us?
- Are low-calorie sweeteners helpful in weight management? And if so, could they contain health claims?
- Should and could the legislative framework of sweeteners be reviewed, to allow more products to use them to reduce sugar content?
- Are the new Government targets to reduce sugar by 5% each year achievable – and how will categories and targets be set and managed?
- How should a voluntary reformulation scheme be structured to be successful – lessons learnt from The Responsibility Deal and the USA’s HWCF voluntary programme
For anyone who is a Freelance Nutritionist or Dietitian or who is self-employed working in the field of nutrition and health, I have been given a 50% discount code for up to 10 freelancers, on a first come, first serve basis. Just simply copy this code First10onlyminus50pc into the coupon box and pay by credit card when registering.
Do send any thoughts or questions over if you have any and feel free to get in touch with me.