When the FSA launched its public health campaign to raise awareness of the health risks of eating too much saturated fat, its chief executive Tim Smith was clear about the objectives. "Supermarkets and manufacturers have done some good work... and we'd like to see more of this," he said. "It is important that we work together."

Hear! Hear! Co-operation rather than confrontation has to be the way forward. But what should we be co-operating on?

There are a variety of ways in which consumers can reduce their satfat intake - from swapping to lower-fat dairy products and reducing the amount and frequency of high satfat foods they eat to replacing satfats with polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat - for example by swapping butter for an olive or sunflower oil spread.

One of best ways to encourage them to improve their diets, however, is by editing the choices they make - through reformulation. The beauty of this is it allows consumers to continue to eat the foods they are used to without making massive changes to their diet or lifestyles.

An example worthy of mention is 1% milk. This has half the fat of semi-skimmed but no compromise on taste, making it an easy swap.

That's if consumers know about it. If there's one area that's even more important to work together on, it's communication. It's vital consumers understand that lower-fat milk still provides the calcium important for bones . But do they?

IGD research last year revealed a worrying lack of understanding of satfats. Many consumers don't realise satfat is part of total fat or that 'saturates' are the same as satfat.

Perhaps that is because health professionals and the food industry can become blinded by their knowledge, and forget how to speak to the layman. We need to take things back to basics without being patronising. Consumers need to know what satfat is, why they would be advised to cut down, and where satfat is found so they are motivated and informed to make changes to diets. The FSA says its tips to cut satfat should not take more time, skill or money.

Promotion and trial of healthier choices by retailers and manufacturers are essential, as are informed staff who are encouraged to take positive action on a personal level, making it more of a 'do as I do' rather than a 'do as I say' approach. Labelling is also key to helping people make healthier choices.

I believe the consumer must take responsibility for and value their own health but they need to be given the right information and education to do that. They do not want to be nannied, patronised or told what to do. They do want clear, consistent advice that is cost-effective, easy to follow, quick and simple.

Give them this and we can start to challenge some of the myths surrounding satfats such as the belief that healthy food doesn't taste good and is more expensive.

At the moment, the message is not clear enough. I can't tell you how often I hear 'even the experts cannot agree' and 'everyone does something different so I'm even more confused'.

Only by giving consumers the information, products and encouragement they need in the places they need it - in shops, catering establishments, at work, at school and at home - will we really start to address the problem.


Sian Porter is a consultant dietician.