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Food labelling - who's driving the health issue?
Rising levels of obesity and growing concerns over the nations health have led the governments to take action in both the USA and the United Kingdom.
Government led directives such as food labelling have often forced manufacturers to reformulate their products, either through the removal of unwanted ingredients such as trans-fats or reduction of salt and sugar. However this only goes so far and schemes such as traffic light labelling set arbitrary barriers under which manufacturers can aim.
Manufacturers have long employed chefs to originate recipes for products with no restrictions, creating delicate balances of taste. These changes force manufacturers to take another look at their products, to assess them against current guidelines.
At the same time consumers have never been more aware of what they eat. Research has shown that we are now more likely to choose foods which contain less salt, fat and sugar.
The key to driving the health issue is the food and drink manufacturer. How do you view your product? Is it a case of slightly modifying the formula or do you want to produce the tastiest, healthiest, ‘cleanest’ product possible?
Modifying the formula would consist of removing a certain amount of a particular ingredient such as salt or fat enabling the product to be re-categorised.
Total reformulation will create a situation where there is a great deal of pressure on the manufacturers to achieve the same quality without the use of the formerly required ingredients. Unwanted ingredients are removed which in some cases can have a detrimental effect on the taste of the food.
Manufacturers who can drive the issue, while at the same time be aware of government initiatives, are going to be the winners. The challenge is to meet consumer demands for healthier, lighter, fresher and (most importantly) tastier alternatives.