Reformulation for healthier food: a qualitative assessment of alternative approaches

Many prepared and take‐away foods contain high levels of ‘unhealthy’ nutrients such as salt,trans and saturated fats and sugar. As diets have developed to include higher proportions ofthese products, consumers intakes have grown beyond World Health Organisationrecommended maximum levels. Countries have responded by regulatory action (Denmark’sbanning of trans fats) or collaborative (voluntary) measures with industry.This paper presents findings from case study research in Denmark, the UK, Italy and Poland andat the EU level to address the research questions: Have reformulation actions been effectiveand cost‐effective? Is collaborative action between government and industry more likely to beeffective than industry acting alone? Are there circumstances under which legislation ispreferable to voluntary action? Are there benefits to European as opposed to separate MemberState action? What are the implications for competition?We find that voluntary reformulation has worked with respect to trans fats and salt. In the UKand at the EU level, firms have made commitments and these have been monitored and actedupon with substantial reductions in levels of salt and trans fats in their products.Manufacturers and retailers (in collaboration with their own‐label suppliers) have done thislargely for reasons of corporate social responsibility—it is good for their image to be seen to beconforming and it means they can’t (so easily) be held up by NGOs and the media as behaving irresponsibly. However, despite an impressive rate at which firms have signed up to makecommitments to salt reduction, in the UK average intake has fallen by only around 10% to 8.6g,still far in excess of the 6g target.Also not known is the extent to which the voluntary approach leaves high levels of harmfulnutrients in foods produced by some companies, perhaps targeted to specific markets.Consumer groups have argued that high levels of trans fats are present in the UK in low qualityfoods targeted at poor consumers and In Poland it is claimed some foods have 10‐12% transfats and population intake levels are among the highest in Europe.NGOs and some policy makers believe mandatory standards are the best way to make sure allfood is ‘good’ food. Whether it is possible to devise a system that maintains the benefits of thevoluntary system but creates a safety net to ensure against any foods containing too high levelsof salt and trans fat and saturated fat deserves further exploration. If so, this would probablyneed to be undertaken at the European rather than Member State level to avoid contraveningEU food law.SMEs may need assistance to meet the technological challenges of reformulation. They do thisat present through links to research associations and retailers, but such linkages are not welldeveloped for firms in all Member States.