Many of Britain's snack foods have been 're-engineered' to meet stricter government rules on products high in fat, sugar, and salt. For example, Ritz crackers now contain 80% less saturated fat than they did just a few years ago, primarily due to swapping palm oil for sunflower oil. This reformulation process took years to perfect in laboratories, where scientists tested various aspects from density to how the cracker reacts to heat, moisture, and packaging.
Other products, such as BelVita's soft bakes, have also been reformulated. Its bestselling choc chip and choc hazelnut flavours have had their sodium content cut by 56% to move them out of the "less healthy" category. Mondelēz International, the company behind brands like Oreo and Ritz, has invested £40m in reformulation work since 2020, establishing the UK as its largest research and development hub.
The industry is now facing further changes as the government reviews the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) that determines which foods are classified as "less healthy." Food companies warn that proposed stricter thresholds for free sugars and greater weighting for fibre could mean 80% of already reformulated products might fail under the new model, particularly concerning sugar content.
Jacinta George, managing director at Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL), a lab involved in recipe rebuilding, highlighted the challenge of the current 2018 NPM model, which counts "free sugars" against a product's score without a universally agreed definition or standardised laboratory method for distinguishing them. She also noted that sugar provides texture, bulk, and preservation, qualities not offered by sweeteners alone, potentially leading to more complex formulations.
Not all reformulation efforts have been successful. Mondelēz's Cadbury Dairy Milk with 30% less sugar was pulled from shelves due to poor sales. The company has since shifted its strategy for chocolate to portion control, keeping bars like Freddo and Curly Wurly under 100 kcal.