What are the benefits and risks of nutrition policy actions to reduce added sugar consumption? An Australian case study

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec id="S1368980022000234_as1"><jats:title>Objective:</jats:title><jats:p>This study aimed to critically analyse Australia’s current and proposed policy actions to reduce added sugar consumption. Over-consumption of added sugar is a significant public health nutrition issue. The competing interests, values and beliefs among stakeholders mean they have disparate views regarding which policy actions are preferable to reduce added sugar consumption.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1368980022000234_as2"><jats:title>Design:</jats:title><jats:p>Semi-structured interviews using purposive, snowball sampling and policy mapping. Policy actions were classified by two frameworks: NOURISHING (e.g. behaviour change communication, food environment and food system) and the Orders of Change (e.g. first order: technical adjustments, second order: reforming the system, third order: transforming the system).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1368980022000234_as3"><jats:title>Setting:</jats:title><jats:p>Australia.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1368980022000234_as4"><jats:title>Participants:</jats:title><jats:p>Twenty-two stakeholders from the food industry, food regulation, government, public health groups and academia.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1368980022000234_as5"><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p>All proposed and existing policy actions targeted the food environment/behaviour change; most were assessed as first-order changes, and reductionist (nutrient specific) in nature. Influences on policy actions included industry power, stakeholder fragmentation, government ideology/political will and public pressure. Few stakeholders considered potential risks of policy actions, particularly of non-nutritive sweetener substitution or opportunity costs for other policies.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec id="S1368980022000234_as6"><jats:title>Conclusions:</jats:title><jats:p>Most of Australia’s policy actions to reduce added sugar consum