Following today’s news (15 July) National Food Strategy proposal for sugar and salt tax levy;

Ramsey Baghdadi, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“The salt and sugar tax levy is a natural progression for the UK, especially considering that the government’s efforts from 2017 to reduce sugar content has simply not been effective enough, and obesity still proves to be a key issue for the country.

“According to GlobalData’s 2021 Q2 consumer survey, a third of UK consumers are actively trying to reduce their consumption of salt, while 40% are actively trying to reduce their consumption of sugar. The tax levy would hopefully increase awareness and concern from consumers who claim to not pay attention to salt (18%) and sugar (16%) content.

“Simultaneously, snacking manufacturers will need to consider new initiatives to reduce sugar and salt content without drastically affecting taste and price. Especially in times of COVID-19, consumers have become very concerned about their finances. In fact, 35% of UK consumers claim to be extremely or quite concerned about their finances in the last quarter. It is therefore vital for brands to provide affordable solutions for consumers with price concerns and tight budgets, who are forced to buy processed goods with high sugar and salt content.”