Nestlé UK & Ireland on Track on 250 Calorie Commitment

05 Jun 2014 --- Nestlé UK & Ireland has supported the Government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal since its launch in 2011 and is a signatory to all the relevant Food Pledges including the calorie reduction pledge which supports our commitment to enable our customers to eat and drink fewer calories.

As a result of the programme of calorie reduction, Nestlé UK & Ireland has announced it is on track to lead the market by having no single serve confectionery products over 250 calories by the end of 2014. Currently 89% of our confectionery products contain 250 calories or less per serving.

“Various products are being re-engineered this year to ensure they fall below the 250 calorie total limit that we are aiming for,” Nestlé’s senior corporate communications manager, James Maxton, told FoodIngredientsFirst. “At the moment Munchies, Yorkie Bars, Chunky Peanut Butter Kit Kats and one or two other products are over 250 calories per pack but these are all being re-engineered this year to meet our calorie reduction pledge.”

The company explained that as a major food manufacturer, “we take our responsibility to help consumers lead healthier lives seriously”. It said it continually reformulates its products to improve them nutritionally and aim to provide its consumers with the information they need to make informed food choices. “In total, 62%* of our confectionery now contain fewer than 110 calories per serving.”

Nestlé also adopted the Government’s new labelling scheme in the UK as we recognise its importance to the public health agenda. Providing consumers with consistency in front of pack labelling is central to them using this information. The new labelling was rolled out from the beginning of the year.

In 2013, Nestlé UK and Ireland announced it had reformulated its iconic KIT KAT bar, resulting in the removal of 3,800 tonnes of saturated fat from the public’s diet, improving the nutritional profile of the product.

This reformulation means over a billion KIT KAT bars a year now have an improved recipe and was the result of three years of challenging research and development led by the Nestlé Innovation team based in York, the home of Kit Kat.

In 2011, we also became the first major confectioner in the UK and Ireland to remove artificial colours, flavours and preservatives from all of our confectionery. This pioneering move followed seven years of research to identify natural alternatives such as concentrates of fruit, vegetables and edible plants.

In April, Nestlé provided an update on the work it had done on the Responsibility Deal Calorie Reduction Pledge:

Confectionery:
89% of our confectionery products contain 250 Calories/serving
100% will contain 250 Calories/ serving by end 2014
100% of products consumed mostly by children/ women contain 180/200 kcal per serving respectively
The no. of products with 110 kcal per serving has increased each year from 2011 (35%, 54%, 62% volume), now half of these are single serve products
Over half of product brands have smaller sized products available enabling consumers to enjoy them in a less substantial format
For 2013/14 new products (22); we launched 2 new 99 kcal biscuits, 73% contain 110 kcal per serving (of which a quarter are single serve), over half are smaller sized formats compared to standard
We increased the number of products that reclose after opening to encourage sharing or to save some for later; increased our coverage of products communicating sharing messages and provided greater clarity around responsible serving sizes

Ice Cream:
We launched SKINNY COW Caramel Temptation mini iced desserts (20% fewer Calories/ 40% smaller than standard SKINNY COW iced desserts)

Cookies:
YORKIE cookies are smaller (30% less Calories/ 33% smaller); launched SMARTIES Mini Cookies (60% less Calories/ 61% smaller than standard)

Food:
MAGGI recipe mixes are designed to make balanced, family meals. Our recommended fresh ingredients are lower fat and calorie options (reduced fat cheese, 0% fat yogurt, lean cuts of meat etc). In 2013/14, we further reduced the serving suggestion total meal calories (average 462 kcal, 8% reduction)
We launched CARNATION milk pots, a cream alternative for coffee (21% less calories than single cream) and CARNATION Cook With It! designed for lighter savoury cooking (6% fat) (40% less calories than single cream/ 28% less calories than CARNATION Evaporated Milk)

Beverages:
Over half our volume (exc. waters) is calorie free or low calorie + 85% is part of a range where lower calorie options are available e.g. NESCAFE DOLCE GUSTO / CAFE MENU Skinny Cappuccinos