Food industry bosses have defended their record on reformulation, amid calls for health secretary Sajid Javid to introduce tough new mandatory targets.
An FDF report called Celebrating Food and Nutrition includes fresh data from Kantar Worldpanel showing that FDF members’ products contribute 10% fewer calories, 12% fewer sugars, and 16% less salt to the average shopping basket than in 2017.
New FDF CEO Karen Betts claimed the figures showed innovation by companies on reformulation, portion size and healthy NPD demonstrated the industry’s commitment to work with the government on obesity.
The report also claims the Reformulation for Health programme, run by FDF Scotland, and funded by the Scottish government, has successfully supported SMEs across the country to make products healthier.
It comes with pressure growing on the government to abandon its voluntary approach in favour of new mandatory targets and taxes, as proposed by Henry Dimbleby in his National Food Strategy.
Earlier this week 40 health organisations wrote to Javid demanding the government stops delaying publication of the report on the industry’s voluntary sugar reduction programme.
However, Betts, who this week criticised the government’s moves to press ahead with a clampdown on HFSS promotions, claiming it would pile more pressure on inflation, said: “Companies in our sector are committed to helping people and communities achieve healthier and more sustainable diets, and we are working hard to make our products better for people and better for the planet.
“This includes improving our product recipes, re-looking at portion sizes and improving the information available to shoppers about what they are buying.
“We know there’s more to do, and we’re committed to continuing to make progress across the breadth and diversity of our industry and our wide range of products. This includes working with governments, including through the UK government’s new National Food Strategy and its Health Disparities white paper.”
FDF Scotland CEO David Thomson said: “Scottish food and drink manufacturers make the products we all love to eat – that are at the heart of our daily lives.
“These businesses are supporting consumers to achieve a healthy balanced diet. Targeted initiatives such as our Reformulation for Health programme are helping make everyday food healthier.
“We will continue to work in partnership with the Scottish government to help Scotland’s people achieve a well-balanced and sustainable diet.”
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