Irish reformulation success: Sodium, fat and sugar content falls

21 Feb 2019 --- Food Drink Ireland (FDI), the Ibec group that represents the food industry, has highlighted significant decreases in sugar and saturated fat in Irish diets between 2005 and 2017. Key takeouts from a new report showed that reformulation of products on the market led to significant reductions in sodium (28 percent), saturated fat (10 percent) and sugar (8 percent).

The report, entitled “The Evolution of Food and Drink in Ireland, 2005-2017,” was launched by Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec, Linda Stuart-Trainor, Director of Prepared Consumer Foods at FDI and Dr. Pamela Byrne, CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

With this latest publication, 15 food and drink companies have come together to put a large amount of data into the public domain. “Food Drink Ireland believes that policy decisions should be evidence-based and this report is a major contribution to the store of public knowledge,” notes Stuart-Trainor.

The companies that provided data for the research outlined in this report represent many of the biggest food and beverage brands in Ireland, and are as follows: Britvic, Coca-Cola Ireland, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Ireland and Northern Ireland, Danone, Glanbia, Kellogg's, Kepak, Kerry Foods, Largo Foods, The Suntory Group - Suntory Ireland, Nestlé, Mars, PepsiCo, Unilever and Valeo Foods.

The report revealed “significant” reductions in sodium , saturated fat and sugar as a result of voluntary undertakings by food and beverage companies. Stuart-Trainor notes that “it went beyond studying just this direct reformulation to look at the changes in intakes of the five nutrients (sugar, sodium, saturated fat, total fat and energy) at the level of the individual diet.”

The model found reductions in intakes of sugar and saturated fat, while sodium, total fat and energy intakes remained stable, she adds. 

“Reformulation is a lengthy and complex journey and each step in the right direction counts. For many products, changes must be gradual to ensure consumer acceptance and lock in the health benefits,” she tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

The main findings of the report were:

Direct reformulation of products on the market in both 2005 and 2017:
· Sodium reduced by 28 percent
· Saturated fat reduced by 10.1 percent
· Sugar reduced by 8 percent
· Energy reduced by 1.6 percent
· Total fat reduced by 0.3 percent

Reductions in sugar intake between 2005 and 2017:
· Adult sugar intake reduced by 0.8g/day
· Teen sugar intake reduced by 2.7g/day
· Child sugar intake reduced by 3.2g/day
· Pre-schooler sugar intake reduced by 2.0g/day

Reductions in saturated fat intake between 2005 and 2017:
· Adult saturated fat intake reduced by 0.5g/day
· Teen saturated fat intake reduced by 0.2g/day
· Child saturated fat intake reduced by 0.2g/day
· Pre-schooler saturated fat intake remained constant

Results for the other nutrients were more modest, the authors found, with sodium, total fat and energy intake remaining relatively stable over the period. 

The Irish food and drink industry has invested heavily in changing its products to respond to evolving consumer demands, tastes and lifestyles. “This report is not the end,” stresses Stuart-Trainor, revealing that companies remain committed to continuing this journey despite the complexities and challenges. 

The report also highlighted the complexity of dietary intakes. “It shows that product reformulations don't automatically flow through to equal reductions in consumer intakes – many factors influence what someone chooses to eat,” she explains. 

“There is a high level of voluntary initiatives from companies to offer healthier choices to consumers, responding to and anticipating evolving consumer tastes, demands and lifestyles. We know that many companies are pursuing portion/pack resizing as another way to offer lower calorie alternatives, especially in categories that are difficult to reformulate,” she says.

Looking towards the full year, Stuart-Trainor stresses that apart from Brexit, which will undoubtedly top concerns in the highly exposed Irish food industry this year, companies will continue to invest in innovation and reformulation. Sustainability is also a growing priority for consumers, so companies will be reviewing their packaging to ensure that it is minimized and easily recyclable. 

Ireland has established itself as an international leader in the investigation of food and drink industry reformulation efforts. A previous Food Drink Ireland report in 2016 gave the first look at data in this regard. The report represents a significant progression of the research methodology, taking a more holistic approach and including new products placed on the market since 2005. 

“The FSAI had an advisory role in the project,” Stuart-Trainor continues. “They provided advice on the methodology and also the interpretation and presentation of the results. This was a good example of collaboration between industry and government, which is essential if solutions are to be found to the challenge of obesity in Ireland,” she concludes.

By Elizabeth Green