Food manufacturers pledge to help cut ‘five billion calories’ from UK diets

MAJOR firms including Coca-Cola, Subway and Tesco have pledged to cut calories from foods to help tackle obesity, the health secretary said yesterday.

Seventeen companies, including supermarkets, food manufacturers and food outlets, have signed a “calorie reduction pledge” as part of the government’s responsibility deal.

Andrew Lansley said the agreement, involving more than three-quarters of the retail market, would help cut “five billion calories” from the nation’s diet every day.

He added: “Eating and drinking too many calories is at the heart of the nation’s obesity problem.”

Those signed up include Asda, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury, Tesco, Waitrose, Coca-Cola Great Britain, Kerry Foods, Kraft, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Premier Foods, Unilever, Beefeater (part of Whitbread), Subway and contract caterer Compass.

Under the pledge, Asda will develop a reduced-calorie brand that will contain at least 30 per cent fewer calories than its Chosen By You brand.

Coca-Cola will reduce the calories in some of its soft drinks by at least 30 per cent by 2014, while Mars will cap the number of calories in its chocolate to 250 per portion by the end of 2013.

Meanwhile, Morrisons has pledged to launch a range of more than 300 healthier products.

Premier Foods, which manufacturers Ambrosia, Batchelors, Hovis, Loyd Grossman, Mr Kipling, Angel Delight and Sharwood’s, will reduce calories in a third of its sales by the end of 2014.

Some 30 per cent of new products will also be “lower calorie choices”, according to the Department of Health.

Subway now offers five out of its nine low-fat subs, each with fewer than 370 calories, as part of its £3 lunch offer.

Tesco is also “on track” to remove 1.8 billion calories from its soft drinks and will expand its Eat, Live, Enjoy range.

Mr Lansley said: “We all have a role to play – from individuals to public, private and non-governmental organisations – if we are going to cut five billion calories from our national diet.

“It is an ambitious challenge but the responsibility deal has made a great start.”

Mr Lansley previously came under fire for saying people also needed to take responsibility for their own health and realise they eat too much.

Chef Jamie Oliver said the strategy was “worthless, regurgitated, patronising rubbish”, adding: “Simply telling people what they already know – that they need to eat less and move more – is a complete cop-out.”