FSA recommends that food manufacturers reduce saturated fat

29th March 2010, 8:23am

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recommended that food manufacturers reduce saturated fat in foods such as biscuits, cakes, buns, chocolates and added sugar in soft drinks.

The Agency also wants to see smaller single-portion sizes available in some of these foods, which contribute much of the saturated fat and calories in our diet.

The Agency is encouraging the industry to reduce fats in biscuits, cakes, bun and chocolate confectionary, reduce added sugar in soft drinks, and make smaller single portion sizes more easily available for chocolate confectionary and soft drinks.

Recommendations by the FSA include: reduce the saturated fat level in some chocolate confectionary by at least 10%, where soft drinks contain added sugar, make single portion sizes of 250ml available, and reduce 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.

Further recommendations will follow in the summer on dairy and meat products, pastry and savoury snacks. 

Responding to the Food Standards Agency's recommendations, Julian Hunt, Food and Drink Federation's director of communications, said: "UK food producers are rightly proud of the incredible work they have done to change the recipes of popular products so that they are lower in calories, fat and saturated fat – while making no compromises on quality or taste.

"Our members have been rising to this particular challenge for a number of years – and are now leading the world when it comes to developing new products and refreshing old favourites. We are pleased that the Food Standards Agency has recognised the successful work undertaken by food companies and the complexities involved with further reformulation efforts."

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