UK Nutrient Profiling Model update: PAN’s perspective on what it means for public health and healthcare settings
A response by Dr Roberta Alessandrini, PhD, Director of PAN’s Dietary Guidelines Initiative
The UK government has published an update to the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM), the system used to classify foods and drinks based on their nutritional composition. It underpins how products are defined as ‘less healthy’ within advertising and promotion restrictions.
Following a 2018 consultation, the Department of Health and Social Care accepted recommendations from an expert group, resulting in the updated model known as the UK NPM 2018, which reflects the latest dietary recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.
While the UK NPM 2018 is not yet applied to policy, a public consultation on applying the updated model to advertising and promotions restrictions is expected in 2026, as part of the 10 Year Health Plan for England commitment to update standards.
Below, Dr Alessandrini shares PAN’s perspective on what the updated model gets right, how it relates to hospital food environments, and what healthcare professionals can take from it in practice.
Photo by Koa'link / Unsplash
Why a nutrient profiling model matters
A strong nutrient profiling model is more than a technical tool. It helps shape the food environment by influencing what can be promoted, what gets reformulated, and what becomes easier for people to buy and consume in daily life.
Crucially, it also matters in healthcare settings, where food should support recovery and model the dietary advice patients receive.
Does the updated NPM align with PAN recommendations?
PAN welcomes the update. The revised model introduces stricter thresholds for nutrients such as salt, free sugars and saturated fat, which have long been linked to poor health outcomes when consumed in excess. Importantly, it also strengthens criteria around dietary fibre, reflecting current scientific recommendations.
This is a meaningful step. The UK, like many high-income countries, faces a significant fibre gap, with average intakes remaining well below the recommended 30 grams per day for adults. Raising the fibre threshold within the model is therefore both positive and necessary.
We strongly promote diets rich in whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and wholegrains, in line with World Health Organization recommendations. Cooking from basic ingredients remains the gold standard.
However, not everyone has the time, skills or access to cook regularly, and many people rely on manufactured products. This is precisely where a strong nutrient profiling model matters. It helps ensure that when people purchase packaged foods, those options are healthier, and it creates a meaningful incentive for industry reformulation.
Manufactured foods are part of today’s food system. If properly regulated and improved, they can contribute to affordability, accessibility and protein diversification. A robust nutrient profiling system is therefore an important public health tool to raise the overall nutritional quality of the food supply.
What could this mean for hospitals, and for children’s food environments?
Hospitals are powerful settings for health promotion. For many patients, they represent a moment of reflection and change, and hospital meals provide a real opportunity to model healthy dietary patterns.
PAN works with hospitals across Europe and collaborates directly with chefs to improve menus. The aim is to support patient recovery with meals that are appealing and aligned with evidence-based guidance, including foods rich in fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and nuts.
We strongly encourages fresh meals prepared from basic ingredients. At the same time, modern kitchens, including hospital kitchens, may use some manufactured products. This is where nutrient profiling systems can add practical value.
Clear nutritional standards can help chefs and procurement teams incorporate suitable products, including alternative proteins, while ensuring what is served aligns with dietary recommendations and genuinely supports patient health.
We also welcomes measures that protect children from disproportionate exposure to foods high in salt, sugar and saturated fat. Strengthening regulation in this area is a matter of fairness and public health. Improving the food environment for children is essential for supporting healthier dietary patterns from an early age.
Why reformulation needs clear standards
We support responsible industry reformulation and recognises the effort and investment required to improve products. However, for reformulation to be truly effective, it must be guided by clear national standards. Voluntary change alone is not sufficient.
Reformulation works best when it is structured, regulated and implemented gradually, allowing taste preferences to adjust over time. Public health experience shows that palates adapt. Progressive reductions in free sugars, salt and saturated fat, alongside increases in fibre and beneficial components such as fruit and vegetables, can shift population preferences without sudden disruption.
Well-designed regulation also creates a level playing field for industry and ensures improvements are meaningful, consistent and aligned with dietary recommendations. That is how reformulation becomes a genuine public health strategy.
Practical takeaways for healthcare professionals
Our mission is to educate doctors and healthcare professionals about the role of diet in prevention and care. In practice, dietary advice needs to be practical, accessible and easy to understand. Messages should not be overly technical. They should translate into simple actions people can apply in daily life.
We encourage choosing minimally processed foods as much as possible, using straightforward strategies such as:
aiming for at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day
prioritising wholegrains
including legumes and nuts regularly
These are clear, achievable steps that can make a meaningful difference.
At the same time, many people do purchase manufactured foods. In those cases, healthcare professionals can guide patients towards products that are lower in salt, free sugars and saturated fat, and higher in beneficial components such as fibre, fruit and vegetables.
Healthcare professionals can also advocate for healthier food environments within their own institutions. This can include encouraging hospitals to ensure vending machines and retail outlets offer products that comply with nutrient profiling standards. Healthcare settings should consistently reflect the dietary advice being given to patients.
PAN’s bottom line
We strongly supports minimally processed foods wherever possible, while remaining open to healthier manufactured products, particularly alternative proteins and in food environments where manufactured foods are widely available.
A robust nutrient profiling model is an important tool to raise the nutritional baseline of the food supply. It can support healthier defaults in everyday environments, and help align the dietary advice healthcare professionals give with the food settings people experience, including in hospitals.