Families consume less fat, sugar, and salt
Families are consuming less salt, sugar, and fat than they were nearly 15 years ago.
An extensive study on many of the most popular products on supermarket shelves showed a significant change in the sodium and sugar content of many products since 2005.
Reformulation, or the changing of recipes, is the driving cause of the decline in many cases, according to a study launched by Food and Drink Ireland (FDI) and Ibec.
The Evolution of Food and Drink in Ireland, 2005-2017 examined the changes in products over the 12-year period and included contributions from 15 well-known companies, including Coca Cola, Nestle, PepsiCo, Mars, and Kelloggs.
Tayto manufacturer Largo Foods was also included, as were Unilever, Kepak, Valeo Foods, Danone, and Glanbia. Some 1,780 products were surveyed, including coffee, soft drinks, sweets, biscuits, confectionery, cheese, bread, pasta, and ready meals.
The study determined that many standard products on shelves had undergone significant changes with reduced sodium and sugar content contributing to an overall drop in consumption.
It found reductions in the consumption of all nutrients of interest, including a 10% drop in saturated fat, 28% fall in sodium, and 8% reduction in sugar.
Sugar intake has fallen for all age groups since 2005, with 1.2kg of sugar removed from the average child’s annual diet. On average, adults are consuming 0.8g less sugar daily while, significantly, teens are consuming 2.7g less and children 3.2g less.
The reductions in the intakes of sugar, for example, were driven by ‘reformulation’ in the beverage industry. In some cases, tweaked recipes helped avoid new sugar taxes but the report notes much of the work had predated sugar tax charges.
Reductions in sugar intake were also observed in those who consume high amounts of breakfast cereals, milk, and other dairy products.
There was a minimal impact on sodium levels while saturated fats declined by 0.5g per day for adults and 0.2g for teens and children.
In all, 4,219 calories have been removed from the annual diets of an average adult, equivalent to about two days’ worth of food.
The primary reason was reportedly the introduction of new recipes in many products. Some, particularly with soft drinks, helped mitigate against potential sugar taxes and also costs’ reductions of certain ingredients.
The introduction of low sugar and low salt alternatives also contributed, appealing to health-conscious consumers.
Linda Stuart-Trainor, director of Prepared Consumer Foods in FDI, said: “Food and drink companies are constantly innovating in response to changing consumer lifestyles, tastes and demands. This report makes a major contribution to the store of public knowledge on intakes of sugar, salt, saturated fat, total fat and energy. It analyses how reformulation and new product development by the food and drink industry interact with consumer choices to impact on the nutrient intakes of adults, teenagers, children and pre-schoolers.”
Ms Stuart-Trainor launched the report along with Ibec CEO Danny McCoy and Pamela Byrne, heads of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
