Government updates Nutrient Profile Model to reflect modern dietary guidance

27 January 2026

First introduced in 2004, the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) is a tool used by the government to assess the nutritional quality of food and drink. It scores products based on their overall nutritional composition, awarding positive points for beneficial components such as fruits, vegetables, fibre, protein and nuts, and negative points for energy, saturated fat, sugars and salt.  

The product’s final score then determines whether it is classified as ‘healthier’ or ‘less healthy’ [1]. This classification plays a key role in how products can be sold, promoted, and advertised under public health policy, with the most notable example being the recent advertising restrictions introduced in January this year.  

The government confirmed its commitment to updating the NPM as part of its 10 Year Health Plan, in July last year. This followed a consultation originally launched by the previous Government in 2018, the outcome of which was never published after industry raised concerns around feasibility.  

While the updated NPM retains the same points-based framework and continues to apply on a 100g basis, it introduces several important changes, aligned with the latest evidence base on nutrition.  

Key changes to the model include: 

Sugar

The most significant change is the shift from assessing ‘total sugars’ to ‘free sugars’ in line with recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). Free sugars include those added during manufacturing, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, and fruit juices.  

This update reflects the strong evidence linking high free sugar intake to negative health outcomes such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay [2]. By focusing on free sugars, the new NPM provides a more accurate reflection of a product’s nutritional quality and creates a stronger incentive for manufacturers to reduce added sugars to improve their score and advertise more widely.  

Fibre

Fibre has undergone one of the most significant upgrades in the new NPM. The outdated ‘NSP fibre’ measure has been replaced with ‘AOAC fibre’, capturing a larger and more accurate proportion of the fibre present in food and bringing it in line with UK dietary recommendations and the Eatwell Guide.   

The weighting given to fibre in the NPM formula has also been revised. Previously, products could only score a maximum of 5 points for fibre; under the updated model, this has doubled to a maximum of 10 points, creating a much stronger incentive for reformulation to increase fibre content.   

 

Commenting on these amendments, Dr Kawther Hashem, Head of Research and Impact at Action on Salt & Sugar said: 

“Over 10 years ago, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommended cutting free sugars intake and increasing fibre in order to improve population diets – advice that was readily accepted by the UK Government at the time. In principle, this should have triggered immediate updates to food and nutrition policies, yet today, most children are still consuming more than double the recommended amount of free sugars and an alarming 90% are still not getting enough fibre, putting them at lifelong health risk. 

That’s why it is both welcomed and long overdue to see the Nutrient Profile Model updated to reflect these recommendations. Shifting the model to focus on ‘free sugars’ rather than ‘total sugars’ and introducing a lower threshold is a crucial step forward, particularly as this model underpins vital food and nutrition policies. This change has the potential to drive genuine and meaningful improvements in children’s diets, and we look forward to seeing how it will positively impact health.” 

 

Seeds included as FVN 

The original 2004/5 NPM awarded positive points only for fruit, vegetables and nuts – commonly referred to as FVN points. The updated NPM has now includes seeds, recognising their similar and equally beneficial nutritional profile and encouraging manufacturers to incorporate another healthy ingredient into their products.   

How many products will now qualify as 'healthier'? 

Although the underlying NPM method and formula remain unchanged, the revised threshold for fibre and free sugars mean that many products are now more likely to be classified as ‘less healthy’. This is particularly true for drinks, confectionery, bakery products and snacks.  

Whilst some businesses may make the argument that this change comes as a surprise, we must remember that the previous model no longer reflected the evidence base, particularly around sugars and fibre. Dietary guidance has evolved, eating patterns have shifted, and reformulation techniques have improved significantly since 2004. We partnered with the Obesity Health Alliance to discuss in depth the necessary reasons for this change in our blog, ‘5 reasons why we needed to update the NPM’. 

Is this the best the model can be?

This update marks a major milestone for food and health policy – particularly given the years of industry resistance. The 2018 model is better aligned with modern evidence and provides a stronger foundation for effective policymaking.   

However, the rest of policy must now catch up with the science. The NPM currently underpins only a limited set of rules and food categories, meaning less healthy products may remain unaffected. This creates loopholes that potentially allow industry to shift eating patterns and behaviours towards other less healthy food categories.  

To ensure the NPM delivers meaningful public health impact, it must: 

• Be extended across all food policy, including procurement, local authorities, and government buying standards.  

• Apply across all food and drink – not just limited categories.  

• Close potential loopholes and ensure tighter regulation of the misleading health and nutrition claims that the previous NPM inadvertently allowed for.  

• Modernise front-of-pack labelling to reflect ‘free sugars’ rather than ‘total sugars’ 

 

Speaking on this, Sonia Pombo, Head of Impact and Research at Action on Salt & Sugar, said: 

“We welcome the government’s long-awaited update to the Nutrient Profile Model (NPM), which represents a clear improvement on the outdated 2004 model and better reflects current evidence on free sugars. No model is perfect, but this update is a necessary step forward and provides a stronger, more evidence-based foundation for food policy - and one that should come as no surprise to industry, having first been consulted on in 2018. 

To deliver meaningful public health impact, the NPM must now be applied more consistently across food policy and to all food and drink deemed less healthy, helping to capture a wider range of products, including major contributors to high salt diets. That also means going beyond the advertising and promotion rules to regulate health and nutrition claims, and labelling.  

Products that are too unhealthy to advertise should not be allowed to present themselves as ‘healthy’ through misleading on-pack claims. Now's the time to close those loopholes, apply the model consistently, and let the product speak for itself, not the marketing.” 

 

Further details on the updated guidance can be viewed on the government website.

 

References  

[1] Department of Health. Nutrient Profiling Technical Guidance – January 2011. UK Government. Accessed October 5, 2025. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7cdac7e5274a2c9a484867/dh_123492.pdf  

[2] NHS. Sugar: The Facts. Accessed 20 January 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/