The nation’s increasing preoccupation with health is having a major impact on sales of food and drink brands with crisps and confectionery some of the casualties in The Grocer’s exclusive annual Top Products Survey, published today.

The 69-page report, based on research by ACNielsen, shows sales of some famous brands are plummeting as consumers switch to reduced fat, sugar and salt products and those with added health benefits.

The industry has responded with better-for-you versions of brands and innovations based around health trends such as preservative-free, pre/probiotic and Omega-3. Smoothies, dairy drinks, cereal bars and mineral water are some of the winners.

Walkers Crisps retains its lead as the number one bagged snack brand, but has lost nearly £30m in sales of its core offering. However, low-fat Walkers Potato Heads shot straight into the top 20 after its launch this year.

Walkers owner PepsiCo admitted consumers were becoming more conscious about what they ate, and this was having an impact. It said sales of healthier snacks such as Quaker Snack-a-Jacks were rocketing and insisted that demand for salty snacks such as Nobby’s was also high.

The company said: “Walkers has embraced the healthier eating message by reducing the levels of saturated fat in its core range by 30% and using a high oleoic sunflower oil to prepare the crisps.”

Meanwhile, the confectionery market is stagnant, with a sales drop of more than 3% for sugar confectionery. Number one chocolate brand Cadbury Dairy Milk dropped nearly 1% in value while other major brands suffered. Mars fell 6%, Snickers 7% and Smarties 6%.

Confectionery suppliers are responding with smaller portions and also with more indulgent products, such as Aero Bubbles and Galaxy Promises.

The frozen sector continues to suffer as people switch to fresh produce and many canned products are also down, including number one soup brand Heinz Classics.

Healthy brands performed well. Sales of number one dairy drink Actimel rose 36%, while number two Müller Vitality added Omega-3 to its portfolio.

Within soft drinks, sales of chilled fruit juices, smoothies and mineral water are booming, at the
Claire Hu