The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has announced that, over the past five years, its member companies have successfully reduced salt levels by 18%, sugar levels by 19%, and calorie counts by 17%.
When comparing data from 2021, it becomes evident that branded food and beverage products have generally become healthier. Notably, since 2021, the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) score—the UK Government’s standardized scoring system for food items—of products from FDF members has enhanced by 13%. The NPM scores foods and beverages, with lower scores indicating healthier options.
The FDF’s report, titled “Shaping a Healthier Future,” attributes these advancements to “decades of innovation and investment” by manufacturers striving to create healthier choices for consumers.
The report further emphasizes that food manufacturers now offer a variety of nutritious options that support well-balanced diets, including tinned and frozen vegetables, grains, and oats. Manufacturers have invested millions to not only create new offerings but also modify existing recipes to lower salt, sugar, and calorie content while incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and fiber.
Kellogg’s has been highlighted for making significant strides, with a reported 17% reduction in total sugars within its All-Bran cereal since 2024. This popular cereal is fortified with essential vitamins and iron, claiming to fulfill one-third of daily fiber needs.
Danone UK and Ireland have similarly cut sugar in their Core and Triple Action Actimel product lines by 9%, ensuring that all Actimel varieties now contain under 10g of sugar per 100g. Premier Foods has launched its Mr Kipling Delicious & Light line, offering cakes designed to comply with Government guidelines on healthier eating.
A study from Nesta, the research and innovation foundation, suggests that simply switching to healthier alternatives could potentially reduce obesity rates in the UK by half within five years.
Despite these “demonstrable advancements,” the FDF expressed concern over proposed governmental revisions to the NPM, which could jeopardize these efforts. The proposed changes aim to restrict the advertising of healthier products, a move that could result in these items disappearing from store shelves and limit the variety of healthier choices available to consumers.
The FDF is urging the Government to halt these NPM modifications, advocating instead for the expedited introduction of mandatory reporting measures for healthier food sales data across the sector. Such requirements would ensure standardized data publication, aiding in tracking industry progress towards healthier dietary options.
The FDF characterized this approach as “novel, world-first,” noting that industry consensus supports it as a mechanism to encourage manufacturers to further develop healthier products while simultaneously assisting the Government in better assessing health policies. They also believe this initiative should extend to the hospitality sector.
Kate Halliwell, chief scientific officer at the FDF, remarked, “Food and drink manufacturers are committed to supporting consumers make healthier choices which will help improve diets. They’ve invested hundreds of millions of pounds over many years in changing products that shoppers know and love to make them healthier as well as appealing to shoppers. And this latest data shows that tremendous positive progress continues to be made.”
She added, “Now we need Government support to take it to the next level. Maintaining a stable regulatory environment will give businesses the confidence they need to keep making investments in the development of healthier products. The UK is already a world leader in healthier product innovation, and bringing in mandatory reporting on healthier food sales would help to incentivise businesses of all sizes to go further, and build momentum on supporting healthier diets.”
