Neil Parish – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the rationale was for the reduction in the dairy food group from 15 to eight per cent in the revised Eatwell Guide; and on what scientific evidence the new recommendations on dairy consumption are based.

Jane Ellison

The Government has adopted the refreshed Eatwell Guide which reflects updated government dietary recommendations based upon conclusions from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, robust modelling and consumer research. It shows the proportions of the different types of foods and drinks we should consume to have a healthy, balanced diet.

An external reference group was convened to inform the development of the Eatwell Guide. Members from health, voluntary sector and industry were invited, including trade and levy organisations.

Linear programming, the approach considered the most objective and robust by the reference group to inform the sizes of the food group segments, ensured all government dietary recommendations were met, including that for calcium. This analysis resulted in a new image with a reduced ‘dairy and alternatives’ segment, which will support consumers to reduce saturated fat and salt consumption, while still meeting calcium recommendations.