Food watchdog calls on food and drinks makers to cut fat, sugar
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has called on the food and soft drinks industries to cut saturated fat levels in snacks such as chocolate and reduce the amount of sugar added to soft drinks.
The FSA also wants to see a greater number of smaller single-portion sizes available for foods such as biscuits, cakes, buns and chocolate, categories that “contribute much of the saturated fat and calories in our diet”.
The recommendations follow a public consultation launched last year.
The FSA’s recommendations include:
– Reducing the saturated fat level in some chocolate confectionery (bars with fillings) by at least 10%.
– Where soft drinks contain added sugar, making single portion sizes of 250ml available.
– Reducing the saturated fat content in plain sweet and savoury biscuits, and plain cakes by at least 10%; and 5% in non-plain biscuits and cakes.
The FSA’s “Eatwell” campaign aims to raise awareness of the risks to our heart health from eating too much saturated fat.
Last month, PepsiCo announced it plans to cut salt and sugar content in its brands such as Pepsi, Quaker oats and Walkers crisps.
