Food Product Reformulation
As food technologists, processors, and researchers you have a lot on your plate – and not just breakfast, lunch and dinner! Our food supply is in your capable hands and I for one am so grateful for that. In my view we don’t celebrate enough the amazing formulation and reformulation work that’s been achieved – especially over the last two decades. The dedication and innovation have significantly improved food quality, safety, and sustainability, benefiting countless lives.
As a result of this work, there are now many hundreds more healthier options available to shoppers than there have ever been. There are more low- or no-sugar products on the market now than at any time in New Zealand’s history.
However, companies are often quiet about how their recipes are slowly getting healthier – whether it be less salt, less sugar, less saturated fat or more fibre and vegetables – but this work stealthily continues. Why keep this on the down low? Well despite the evidence that such changes will positively influence health outcomes, many consumers are still wary when taste is still one of the main motivators for purchase. No one wants to risk losing sales, with the aim being these are not affected because reformulated foods still taste great – another largely unsung major achievement of food technologists.
Unfortunately, the fact that such work is not highly publicised plays straight into the hands of critics. With increased reference to concerns about ultra processed foods, there is a growing narrative that all manufactured foods are somehow less healthy. Over the summer break The Post ran a series of articles on the subject, on the ‘proliferation of ultra processed foods’ interviewing nutritionists for their views. It was encouraging to read the three-part series finishes with, “while it’s good to be mindful of what we’re putting in our bodies, we should look at the picture holistically and in context.” Nutritionists – especially those working in the food industry – know this is true and frequently defend the place of manufactured foods in an affordable, convenient, balanced and varied diet. At the New Zealand Food & Grocery Council we are doing what we can to highlight the great work being done across the sector to ensure many commonly consumed manufactured foods are actually healthier than ever before. One of the ways we are communicating this is through our Shared Horizons content series – specifically addressing the work that’s going on to improve the healthfulness of the food supply in the ‘reformulation and innovation’ videos. In the ‘drivers of change’ video I give an overview of the importance of reformulation and why it should be celebrated – that the real beauty is that we’re giving the population a healthier diet, without compromising the palatability of those foods.
In our advocacy work we also take every opportunity to promote the reformulation work that the Heart Foundation do together with the food industry. This important programme of work, which has steadily chipped away at reformulation targets and establishing new norms across different
categories over two decades, has achieved astounding nutritional change for New Zealanders. It’s a successful collaborative model which has the potential to be even more effective with more government support and recognition. The results would not exist without the expertise of individual food technologists within the companies themselves. For example – the median sugar content of the top 10 selling yoghurts has reduced by 39%, and the median sugar content of the top 10 selling flavoured milk has reduced by 19%. Those are amazing statistics.
We welcome the ongoing dialogue with food technologists about how we can further communicate your important mahi and continue to give credit where credit is due. Together, we can amplify the recognition of your contributions and inspire future innovations in the food industry.
