Government tariff cuts raise questions over joined-up food policy, says Sustain

Ahead of the Autumn Budget, HM Treasury announced ‘Everyday fixes to make life easier for millions of Britons’ including ‘Government action taken on food’. 

Products which are expected to see their tariffs cut include: 

•  Garlic
•  Gherkins 
•  Citrus jams, marmalades and pastes
•  Throat pastilles and cough drops
•  Boiled sweets, filled or unfilled
•  Toffees, caramels and similar sweets
•  Plant-based beverages (soya, nut, cereal or seed)
•  Chocolate-coated waffles/wafers
•  Kerosene
•  Fertilisers

This is the second government-led cost-of-living tariff package this year, following an initial package introduced in June 2026 covering products including pasta, fruit juice and tuna.  According to the government announcement 'the two packages are expected to reduce consumer costs by approximately £245 million to £595 million a year.’

With households facing continued pressure from high food prices, Sustain welcomes action to make food more affordable, but questions whether the measures are serious enough to tackle the cost of living. According to the BBC, the £245-595m saving translates to less than 40p per week per household, or £21 per year saved on sweeties, and only if manufacturers pass any savings through to consumers. Sustain would also like to see measures such as these support its wider ambitions for healthier, more sustainable food.

Glen Tarman, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Sustain says:

“With food bills still putting households under pressure, the Government is right to look for ways to bring costs down. But tariff policy should make healthy and sustainable food more affordable, not make sweets cheaper.

It is difficult to see why cutting tariffs on boiled sweets, toffees and chocolate-coated wafers should be a cost-of-living priority.

Where tariff reductions can help lower the price of nutritious foods, that can be welcome, but the Government should demonstrate that those savings are actually reaching shoppers.

This shows exactly why we need a joined-up approach to food policy. The Government needs a Food Strategy capable of delivering its Good Food Cycle outcomes, bringing affordability, health, farming and the environment together, with a Good Food Bill providing the framework to ensure decisions across government pull in the same direction.”

Alys Bannister, Sustainable Farming Campaign manager at Sustain says:

“Farmers are under real pressure from fertiliser prices, so it’s understandable the Government wants to ease costs. However, a temporary tariff cut treats the symptom, rather than the cause. 

Price shocks driven by volatile global markets will keep coming, so rather than doubling down on our reliance on imported inputs, farmers need support to reduce their dependence on synthetic fertiliser. Trade policy should support, not undermine, the Farming Roadmap’s vision for the sector to transition to practices that build farm resilience, while protecting our rivers, soils, and climate.”

Sustain is calling for the Government’s forthcoming Food Strategy to join up action on affordability, health, farming and the environment, underpinned by a Good Food Bill that embeds food-system goals across government.

Read more about the Good Food Bill campaign, coordinated by Sustain, The Food Foundation and Green Alliance.