Recipe Analysis

Industry told to cut sugar by 20%

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At the start of the week, the House of Commons Health Select Committee published a follow up to the Government’s childhood obesity plan, in which they welcomed the measures included but were extremely disappointed that several key areas had not been included.

Tiered levy on sugary drinks – strongly recommend measures are implemented to ensure manufacturers pass on the price differential between high & low/no sugar to help maximise the ‘nudge’ and prevent consumers of sugar-free products subsidising the higher sugar drinks. Also urge Government to extend the levy to milk-based drinks with added sugar.

Voluntary reformulation programme (sugar) – urge Government to set out proposals if the voluntary reformulation does not go as far or as fast as necessary. Likewise Public Health England (PHE) should set out plans for reducing portion size & Government draw up measures to implement a cap on portion sizes linked to calorie content of certain foods & drinks for implementation if voluntary action does not achieve this.

Discounts & promotions – urge Government to follow evidence based advice from their chief public health advisers and to regulate price promotions on the sale of unhealthy food & drinks.

Committee of Advertising Practise (CAP) banning high fat, salt & sugar (HFSS) advertising in children’s media – new rules could and should go further. Urge a re-examination of the case for further restrictions on advertising HFSS food & drink in the light of the most recent research.

Out of home sector – a call for a change to planning legislation to make it easier for local authorities to limit proliferation of unhealthy food outlets in their areas.

And today (30/03/17) Public Health England published a technical report setting out guidelines on how to achieve a 20% sugar reduction across 9 categories of food (that provide the majority of the sugar in the diets of children up to 18yrs).

For each category, the overall levels of sugar per 100g to achieve the 5% and 20% reductions are provided based on sales weighted averages – to help businesses focus reformulation on the top selling products that make the biggest contribution to sugar levels. Average and maximum calories or portion size guidelines for products likely to be consumed by an individual at one time are also provided – the biggest selling individual portion size products will need to decrease to reduce averages across categories.

To monitor progress, the levels of sugars and calories assessed across food categories in 2015 will be used as the baseline. Two detailed assessments (March 2018, March 2020) will be published to advise on progress with lighter reviews & progress reports at 6 monthly intervals.

AB Food Nutrition works with manufacturers to provide nutrient composition values of their products for labelling and also during product development or reformulation. We can work with you to assess the impact recipe changes will have on nutritional content as well as advising on ways to achieve a desired nutritional profile such as a 5% or 20% sugar reduction. Contact Anne for further information about our nutrition and labelling services.

Hooray – I’m FIR compliant…so now what?

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You’ve got nutrition information on your product labels, so that’s it – job done and you are fully FIR compliant now….right?

Well, yes and no!recipe-on-table

Whether you have had your nutrition information calculated or analysed, it is only going to be valid for the recipe as it was at the time of the analysis.  If in the future you decide to tweak the recipe, change the way it is processed or launch new products, then you have to make sure you have the nutrition information updated and incorporated on the pack or label before you even begin selling the product.

Even if you never ever change the recipe, nutrient contents of raw materials can change over time so it’s good practice to review your nutrition declaration approximately every 2 to 3 years.  You may need to do this more frequently if you are using a lot of ingredients that have sub-recipes of their own, as your suppliers may also make improvements or changes to their products. Make sure you keep up-to-date specifications or information about all your raw materials so that you are aware if there are any changes that will impact upon your ingredients, allergen and nutrition labels.

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Is nutrition information here to stay? What about Brexit?

The idea that following Britain’s decision to leave the EU means that we no longer have to follow EU law is a myth I’m afraid.  A spokesperson from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute had said that any changes in food regulation wouldn’t come into effect until at least two years from now so in the meantime the current EU food regulations still stand.  The government has even stated that following Brexit there will be greater flexibility for front-of-pack nutrition information, as currently under EU law, it is only voluntary so, it certainly looks like it is here to stay!

If you have now found yourself in the unfortunate position that the 13 December deadline has passed and you have not implemented the new rules on nutrition labelling yet, make sure you take action as soon as possible.  AB food nutrition specialises in recipe analysis & nutritional labelling advice, and our confidential, personalised yet cost-effective nutrition labelling solutions make us the ideal partner for a food business of any size.

Contact Anne for further details.

Read my earlier blog for a quick reminder of what you should be doing to comply with regulationsxmas

Six months to Christmas… and mandatory nutrition labelling!

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So, with just six months until Christmas – time to start planning your marketing, events and orders …oh… and don’t forget – your mandatory nutrition labelling!

That’s right – the Food Information Regulation (FIR) deadline will be here before you know it. 13th December 2016 to be exact! But, more importantly, you still have time to do something about it if you haven’t already put plans or resources in place to update your labels.

 

So then, a quick reminder of what is required. From 13 December 2016, it will be mandatory to provide “back of pack” nutrition labelling for prepacked food, subject to certain exemptions contained in Annex V of EU Regulation 1169/2011. These exemptions relate mainly to minimally processed foods and those with little nutritional value. (This does not apply to food supplements, natural mineral waters or PARNUTS because these fall under the scope of other Directives with their own nutrition labelling provisions).

You can read more detail on the requirements and presentation of this information in my previous blog post.

But don’t forget, if you offer food for sale via a website, telephone orders or similar, the mandatory nutrition information must also be made available before the purchase is concluded.   The rules for mandatory nutrition labelling also apply if you supply prepacked food to mass caterers for further preparation.

So why, you may ask, have these rules become law?

The prime reason is to enable consumers to make informed choices about the foods they use to suit their dietary needs. The 2007 White Paper “A Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues”, stressed the need for consumers to have access to clear, consistent and evidence-based information. Having nutrition information provided on packs assists with public health policies concerning nutrition education. Additionally, it’s presence on all products means it will be relevant for all shoppers in every price and product category.

How can I get the nutrient values for my products?

There are basically two options, you can send samples of your finished products to a laboratory for analysis, or the average values can be calculated using known values of the ingredients used and/or generally established & accepted data (such as McCance & Widdowsons 7th Edition).

AB Food Nutrition offers a cost effective, confidential and personal calculation service (contact anne@abfoodnutrition.co.uk for further information and quotes).

It’s important to remember though, that if you regularly make changes to your products the nutrition information will most likely be impacted and so another nutrition analysis or calculation will be required – something to consider when choosing which method you want to use versus overall costs. Additionally, any new products developed after the December deadline will need to have the nutrition information included on the label before you can launch it.

BNF Healthy Eating Week in the Workplace 2016

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The British Nutrition Foundation is running another Healthy Eating Week between 13 – 17 June. The purpose is to provide a dedicated week in the year where UK workers and school children can simultaneously focus on healthy eating and drinking, and physical activity, in order to encourage healthy living.

Promoting health in the workplace is not only beneficial to employees but also to employers.

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You can sign your workplace up for free and download the guide to help you plan and organise your Week and provide ideas to meet the Week’s five challenges (Have breakfast; Have 5 A DAY; Drink plenty; Get active; Try something new).

If you are interested in hosting Healthy Eating Week in your workplace and need some consultancy advice or assistance with your planning, contact Anne at AB Food Nutrition (anne@abfoodnutrition.co.uk). Here are just a few ideas we could help you with:

  • which foods & drinks to include in a healthy breakfast for a morning meeting
  • provide recipes for healthy breakfast ideas that you can email to employees
  • 5-a-day portion guides and tips to include more veggies in meals
  • work with your staff canteen to offer healthier meals and snacks
  • recipe analysis to provide calories for menus

 

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