Research reveals food manufacturers reducing calorie counts in British shopping baskets

Recent data from Kantar Worldpanel indicates that products from companies affiliated with the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) now account for one-third (33%) less salt, a quarter (25%) less sugar, and 24% fewer calories in the GB grocery market compared to 2015.

The Food and Drink Federation members’ products now contribute 33% less salt, 25% fewer sugars and 24% less calories to the GB grocery market when compared to 2015. Kantar’s Worldpanel GB Take Home Purchase data for FDF members, 2023 vs 2015 total nutrient volume contribution (percentage difference) 

This success in cutting calories, sugar and salt from everyday food and drink items and familiar brands follows significant innovation and investment from the UK’s food and drink manufacturing industry. In 2023 alone, more than £160m was invested in research and development dedicated to healthier product innovation, including changing recipes to make them healthier (reformulation); creating new, healthier products; and changing portion sizes.

Changing food and drink recipes to introduce healthier alternatives requires significant time, expertise, and investment. As any cook will know, ingredients play a structural role in recipes as well as contributing flavour, so extensive trials have to be undertaken to ensure products are viable with less salt, fat or sugar, or with more fruit, vegetables or fibre. For example:

• In 2023 Kellanova launched four cereal renovations to create healthier products. Collectively, these projects took over two years and involved 300 different recipes, 40 pilot manufacturing trials, 16 large scale production trials, and more than 30 rounds of sensory and consumer testing, before being brought to market.
• In 2023, Birds Eye’s specialist R&D experts developed three new, healthy, veg-rich frozen prepared meals, as part of the brand’s Steamfresh range. Taking over a year to develop, each portion in the range contains one or two of a consumer’s 5-a-day, is a source of fibre and retains its nutrients thanks to microwave-steaming.

In addition to supporting government initiatives to reduce calories, sugar, and salt, FDF members are also leading efforts to promote positive nutrition. The FDF’s ‘Action on Fibre’ initiative, launched in 2021, helps make higher-fibre choices more accessible to consumers across a wide range of products – from bread to breakfast cereals, and pizza to plant-based meat alternatives.

In 2023 alone, members of ‘Action on Fibre’ introduced over 150 new and reformulated products, bringing 190 million additional servings of fibre to the UK population – equivalent to 144 million bowls of bran flakes or 207 million slices of wholemeal bread. Alongside launching new products, the food and drink industry is also helping consumers lead healthier lives by investing in workplace wellbeing initiatives and providing clear nutrition information on the product label.

Commenting on the industry’s commitment to innovation in order to drive further, positive change, Kate Halliwell, chief scientific officer, Food and Drink Federation noted that creating “delicious and nutritious” food and drink is no easy task – “it takes time, investment and technical expertise,” she said. “We’re proud to see the continued and significant advances made by our industry to offer healthier options reflected in the UK’s shopping baskets.

She concluded that industry, and in particular smaller companies, could do even more with better government support, which is currently only a fraction of what’s available to, for example, investments in the aerospace or automotive manufacturing sectors. To take critical investment in healthier product innovation to the next level, we’re calling on government to support the UK’s largest manufacturing industry in boosting further investment in reformulation.

“In addition, given the challenges smaller companies face in overcoming the complexity of reformulating products, we’re calling on the UK government to provide a £4 million fund to support SMEs who want to do the right thing, replicating the very successful Scottish government-funded Reformulation for Health programme across the whole of the UK. This scheme has proven itself to be a cost-effective way of supporting innovative projects that have removed millions of calories from Scottish food products in line with public health goals.”

Alan Black, director, Food Systems Transformation, The British Nutrition Foundation said with diet-related disease linked to significant levels of ill health in the UK we have a responsibility to work together across the food environment to make it better.

“We know that reformulation can help reduce population intakes of nutrients of concern such as free sugars and salt, which could benefit public health outcomes,” Black said. “Increasing positive components in products such as fibre and fruit and vegetables and targeting portion size are also promising strategies for improving public health.

“Food manufacturers are well placed to deliver change at scale and the British Nutrition Foundation works with companies from across the sector to support them in making healthier choices easier for consumers.”

Jacinta George, managing director, Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL) noted that the report provides a helpful snapshot of how companies are improving the health profile of a wide variety of food and drink.

“RSSL helps companies to navigate this space and so we know that successful reformulation is multifaceted – it requires time and investment to change recipes and launch new healthier products,” he added. “It’s not as simple as removing ingredients or replacing them with alternatives, a deep technical understanding of the function of different ingredients is needed. This is because reformulation can influence every characteristic of a product, from processing and cost, through to taste, texture and shelf-life. The significance of these changes cannot be overstated or underestimated because the quality of the product is key to consumer acceptance. We hope this report will help inspire companies with what can be done, as well as help policy makers understand the depth of industry commitment.”

The FDF’s newly published report, Innovation for Healthier Diets, offers a comprehensive overview of the efforts and achievements of FDF members, shedding light on the reformulation journey and innovation driving healthier product development for consumers.

Related content