Britain’s food and drink sector has warned that planned changes to healthy food regulations could fuel inflation and deter investment in UK manufacturing.

The government is consulting on revisions to the nutrient profiling model, which scores food and drink products based on calories, salt, fat, fibre, protein and free sugars.

The model helps determine which products can be promoted in stores, placed near supermarket tills and advertised on television.

The Department of Health and Social Care consultation is due to close later this month.

Industry groups have warned that the proposed changes could lead to products such as fruit juices, yoghurts with fruit compote and bran flakes being classified as unhealthy.

The Food and Drink Federation said manufacturers were already facing higher costs from wage increases, packaging taxes and tougher recycling rules.

It also pointed to new data showing its members now contribute 18 per cent less salt, 19 per cent less sugar and 17 per cent fewer calories to the UK grocery market than in 2021.

Innocent Drinks said the proposed rules would create “another layer of complexity and confusion for consumers and businesses”.

Haribo UK managing director Jon Hughes told the Financial Times that the confectionery giant could reduce investment in Britain if the changes go ahead.

“From a global perspective, there is no other country that has so much regulation,” Hughes said.

“The goalposts are moving every year from how we advertise to run promotions. It creates a huge amount of distraction.”

The debate comes after the government explored voluntary food price caps with supermarkets in return for loosening some regulations. The proposal was later sidelined following a backlash from retailers.

However, health campaigners said ministers should not weaken public health measures in response to affordability concerns.

Obesity Health Alliance executive director Katharine Jenner said there should be “no trade-off between public health measures and the affordability of food”.

She said previous delays to advertising and promotional restrictions in 2022 did not prevent food price rises, which were driven by global supply chain pressures.

The government said the current nutrient profiling model no longer reflected the latest dietary advice and warned that children in the UK were consuming twice the recommended amount of free sugars.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it was taking “strong action to tackle the obesity crisis”.

“This includes restricting advertising of junk food on TV and online, limiting volume price promotions on less healthy foods and introducing mandatory reporting on sales of healthy food,” they added.