A REPORT released today by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) celebrates the successful work of food and drink manufacturers across the UK to support the health of the nation by improving the nutritional status of their products and offering shoppers and consumers a wide variety of options to support sustainable healthy diets.
The report highlights innovation by companies – of all sizes – to improve the nation’s diet using methods such as reformulation, providing appropriate portion sizes and bringing healthier options to market. It celebrates the success of the Reformulation for Health Programme, run by FDF Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, to support SMEs across Scotland to make their products and recipes healthier. To date the programme has removed hundreds of millions of calories and tonnes of salt from the Scottish diet.
The ‘Celebrating Food and Nutrition’ report includes fresh data from Kantar Worldpanel showing that, compared to 2017, FDF member products contribute 10% fewer calories, 12% fewer sugars, and 16% less salt to the average shopping basket.
The report also sets out the fantastic commitments of companies to help bridge the fibre gap as part of FDF’s Action on Fibre initiative; to tackle food poverty with pioneering projects within local communities across the UK; as well as helping consumers to achieve more sustainable diets on the road to Net Zero.
The food industry has made great strides in supporting balanced diets. In fact, the average shopping basket in the UK is categorised as healthy, and there has been a 14% reduction in the HFSS score for the total food and drink market since 2017. Alongside continued efforts by companies to improve the nutritional profile of food and drinks, targeted initiatives to support communities is integral to reducing health inequalities.
The industry is committed to continuing to work with the Scottish Government to drive further innovation within our sector, and to champion positive messaging about the role of food and drink in a healthy sustainable diet.
We are delighted that the report is supported with expert insights from FareShare, the British Nutrition Foundation and Leatherhead Food Research.
Food and Drink Federation Scotland’s Chief Executive Officer, 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”.
Food and Drink Federation Scotland’s Reformulation for Health Manager, Joanne Burns, said:
“Through our Reformulation for Health Programme, funded by the Scottish Government, we have worked with a range of food and drink businesses from small island producers to some of the best-known brands in Scotland.”
“These businesses have worked hard to implement changes to their recipes that are making a real difference to the health of Scotland’s people.”
