The changing landscape of high fat, salt and sugar foods: beware of unforeseen consequences – what could this mean for your business?

by Dr Lisa Ackerley CEnvH FRSPH

Welcome to Taking the Lead, a series of blogs from members of our Technical Advisory Board covering hot topics across the food and hospitality industry to provide valuable expert insights to food business owners and operators. In this edition, Chair of the Board and leading food safety expert Dr Lisa Ackerley is here to explore her view on new legislation surrounding high fat, salt and sugar foods.

If you’re in the food industry, you’ve probably heard about the upcoming legislative changes concerning high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) foods, driven by the regulators’ need to tackle obesity and dietary associated diseases. Whist individuals may be advised to reduce salt or sugar by the medical professionals, regulators believe that a more widespread approach is necessary for general public health. Interventions through legislation and tax can have widespread impact by enforcing reductions of fat, sugar and salt in food. However, these changes to laws around HFSS foods could lead to significant implications for food businesses and consumers and it is always important to consider any unforeseen consequences.

Historically, the food industry has relied on fat, salt and sugar for flavour and these ingredients are found in abundance in many popular foods, and their prevalence in everyday foods has triggered the need for intervention, because of the risk of over-consumption leading to health risks. But there is another role for salt and sugar; for hundreds of years these ingredients have had a critical role in food preservation; salt and sugar restrain microbial growth by reducing available water, making it difficult for harmful and spoilage microbes to survive and multiply. But, as the demand for healthier choices rises, manufacturers are faced with the challenge of producing food that’s lower in salt and sugar, and yet still safe and tasty.

Reducing salt, sugar, and fat might sound like a simple task, but there’s more to this process than meets the eye. Each change impacts food, not only in terms of nutrition, taste and texture but also sometimes in relation to its safety. When manufacturers remove sugar, they remove not only calories but in some cases the preservative effects of this ingredient, so careful consideration has to be given to whether other forms of preservation are needed (for example, low sugar preserves may need to be refrigerated or may need to contain a chemical preservative).

In an outbreak of Clostridium botulinum in 1989, where hazelnut yoghurt was the cause, the manufacturers of canned hazelnut conserve had substituted aspartame for sugar. The anti-microbial function of sugar was lost. The cans of conserve were consequently less protected and in anaerobic conditions Clostridium botulinum grew, producing toxins that caused one death and 26 other cases. (O’Mohony et al, 1990). To retain a sweet taste, very often sugar is replaced with chemical sweeteners – but whilst these additives may help to aid weight loss, some have also been brought into question in terms of whether they present their own chemical risks. [Guardian, 2024]. The balance between reducing obesity and introducing food safety and other risks always needs to be considered.

When reducing salt, the challenge also extends beyond simply replacing the flavour. Salt, which enhances taste, is an essential component for many baking and curing processes, improves food structure and texture, and promotes water holding capacity; in terms of food safety, it also plays a crucial role in inhibiting the growth of bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum in processed foods. It is not just sodium chloride that is used; different types of salt such as sodium nitrate are used for different processes, for example in bacon and similar cured products. Lowering salt could mean that food producers may need to introduce different or additional preservation methods, for example adding other chemical preservatives, increasing the time and temperature of processing, requiring refrigeration after production and even adjusting shelf life for their products.

So, what does this mean for your business?

The drive to reduce HFSS content in foods will require careful, strategic planning. For example, in hospitality, businesses might need to invest in more chiller space for products that were previously safe at ambient temperatures because of their salt or sugar contents. Alternatively, they may have to adjust their supply chain dynamics to accommodate products with a shorter shelf life. There is a delicate balance for businesses to consider the alternatives to HFSS ingredients whilst ensuring food safety and yet still delivering a product that meets the taste expectations of consumers. Businesses carrying out complex processes such as sous vide would need to assess carefully the impact of any salt or sugar reduction to previous shelf-life assessments, which would have to be repeated for a new recipe.

Remembering lessons from the hazelnut yoghurt outbreak it is key to watch out for blown cans or vacuum packs in the storeroom or on delivery which could indicate a faulty process. You should also ensure that you read labels carefully as storage conditions may change if salt and sugar are reduced.

It’s a multifaceted scenario, but the industry’s move towards healthier alternatives presents opportunities for manufacturers to innovate and challenge the norm. In the end, offering healthier choices could potentially open up new business opportunities and increase customer loyalty – so there’s exciting potential for businesses willing to invest in and navigate this territory.

One way to stay ahead of the game is by staying informed and keeping up with industry trends. As regulations continue to evolve, it’s crucial for food businesses to stay up-to-date with any changes that may impact their products. This could involve investing in research and development to discover new ingredients or production methods, as well as adapting marketing strategies to promote healthier options.

Furthermore, collaborating with nutritionists and health experts can be beneficial in creating tasty yet healthy alternatives. By understanding the science behind HFSS foods and working closely with professionals, businesses can develop innovative solutions that meet consumer demand for healthier choices whilst ensuring that food safety standards are not compromised.

References

Guardian, 2024 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/24/cakes-and-drinks-sweetener-neotame-e961-can-damage-gut-wall-scientists-find

O’Mahony, M, Mitchell E, Gilbert, RJ, Hutchinson, DN, Bffegg , NT, Rodhouse, JC.  And Morris JE. An outbreak of foodborne botulism associated with contaminated hazelnut yoghurt. Epidemiol. Infect. (1990), 104, 389-395 3 8 9