9. Conclusion
9.1 As outlined in the Eatwell Guide, discretionary foods are not required as part of a healthy, balanced diet. If consumed, they should be eaten infrequently and in small amounts, as they typically provide little to no nutritional benefit and are often high in saturated fat, salt, and free sugars. Despite this, evidence shows that discretionary foods are highly prevalent in the diets of adults and even more so in children in Scotland. This can contribute to the overconsumption of fat, sugar, and salt, increasing the risk of weight gain and obesity, which are associated with health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.
9.2 Discretionary products are widely available in the food environment, and multiple factors contribute to their overconsumption. These products are often viewed as tempting, frequently purchased on impulse, and commonly sold in large portion sizes, particularly in the out of home sector. Price promotions and marketing strategies such as product placement and in-premise advertising further encourage over purchase and subsequent consumption. Consumer research has indicated general support for policies tackling these environmental drivers.
9.3 FSS advise that a key step to improving the diet in Scotland would be to reduce our intakes of discretionary foods. To achieve this reduction, a wide range of measures are required to transform the food environment and shift consumer behaviour. Restricting the promotion of HFSS products can help reduce excess calorie, fat, sugar and salt intake, while reformulation offers an opportunity to improve the nutritional profile of food and drinks including discretionary items. However, further action is needed to support individuals to choose smaller portion sizes and consume discretionary foods less frequently, to substantially reduce overall intake.
9.4 Reducing average intakes of discretionary foods and drinks across the population would result in significant progress towards the SDGs with minimal impact on intakes of nutrients which have positive health benefits. Furthermore, if they were replaced with less energy dense and more nutrient rich foods such as fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, beans and pulses, this could contribute towards further progress towards the SDGs.
9.5 FSS will continue to monitor dietary intakes and consumer purchasing in Scotland to track changes resulting from policy actions to reduce discretionary foods. As outlined in our 2023 FSS Public Health Nutrition Strategy, we remain committed to providing consumers with consistent messaging around a healthy balanced diet and will continue to build in our efforts to influence policy changes to support improvements to the food environment.