Müller UK and Ireland | Food and Weight Management Inquiry Call For Evidence

Thursday 28 August 2025

ABOUT MÜLLER UK AND IRELAND 

Müller UK and Ireland (‘Müller‘) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the House of Commons Select Committee for Health and Social Care’s inquiry on Food and Weight Management.

Müller UK and Ireland is owned wholly by Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller, a family run business which employs over 32,000 people throughout Europe. We service customers with strategic partnerships throughout the UK & Ireland, while exporting to over 60 countries internationally. Müller develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of branded and private label dairy products made with milk from 1,300 farmers in Britain, alongside a designated plant-based range.

Müller UK & Ireland includes Müller Milk & Ingredients, which produces branded and private label fresh milk, powdered milk, cream, butter, milk drinks and ingredients products. It also includes Müller Yogurt & Desserts which makes yogurts, chilled desserts and milkshakes and is responsible for major brands like Müller Corner. It also supplies into the UK private label yogurt market. 

Müller is one of the 10 most chosen fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands in Great Britain, and the most popular dairy brand. It is ranked within the top 20 in The Grocer’s Top 100 list of Britain’s Biggest Brands and is picked from shelves millions of times each year.

RESPONSE

Question 4: What more should the Government and/or the food industry do to address disparities and deliver on the Government's Food Strategy aim of improving "access to affordable, healthy food"?

• Müller supports the government’s aim to improve the health of the nation and believes that it could go further in promoting dairy consumption within the population. Dairy products including fresh milk, yogurt and dairy drinks are rich sources of protein and calcium that support bone heath, digestion and immune support. The vast majority of Müller products (93 per cent) are non-HFSS under the current Nutrient Profiling Model and offer such nutritional benefits as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

• As the inquiry seeks to address health disparities, we wish to draw the committee’s attention to a brief example of a tangible health outcome leading on from dairy consumption. The vast majority of studies show a clear correlation between high dairy intake and a reduced risk of osteoporosis, a condition which disproportionately affects women going through the menopause[1]. Dairy, however, is coming under increasing regulatory strain through schemes like the proposed changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and Extended Producer Responsibility, leading to greater cost for industry. Müller is not opposed to measures which seek to improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, but believes that the Government must meet, consult and engage with the industry more effectively, listening to its feedback to ensure that regulation does not lead to inflation.

• Müller reviews its products and ingredients on an ongoing basis to ensure they meet the differing health needs of our consumers, without compromising on the great taste and quality of our products.

• Over time, we have made significant changes to its products to reduce sugar content, fat and total calories, and we will continue to do so without compromising on taste and quality. Moreover, Müller, alongside other food producers, has previously worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) on the voluntary sugar reduction programme (2016) which saw a 13.5 per cent sugar reduction for yogurts and fromage frais among its successes.

• We introduce recipe changes gradually to avoid significant disruption to sales as our research has shown that consumers are unwilling to compromise on taste. For this reason, we urge the government to avoid wholesale change to legal requirements on food producers to reduce the amount of sugar and fat within their products – any new measures must provide adequate time for the reformulation of products and the gradual introduction of changes.

• We ask that any government policy that could lead to food producers reformulating their products, or relabelling them, is considered – and introduced - in line with other areas of government policy and initiatives. This will help reduce the cost burden for businesses, including Müller, associated with reformulation and re-labelling.

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Further information

Please contact jack.gorman@muller.co.uk and heather.mcguinness@muller.co.uk