Food Drink Ireland (FDI) has welcomed the Department of Health’s newly launched Reformulation Roadmap.
Commenting on the recent announcement, Elizabeth Bowen, Prepared Consumer Foods (PCF) director said, “Reformulation is one of the most effective ways in which the food and drink industry can contribute to reducing obesity and improve public health.
"Reformulation is ongoing in the Irish food and drink industry and FDI has tracked the sector's successful efforts to reduce saturated fat, salt, and sugar in our 2019 report 'The Evolution of Food and Drink in Ireland, 2005-2017,' she said.
Evolution of Food and Drink in Ireland
The Evolution of Food and Drink in Ireland, 2005-2017, report found that for direct reformulation of products on the market between 2005 and 2017, sodium reduced by 28%, saturated fat reduced by 10.1%, sugar reduced by 8%, energy reduced by 1.6%, and total fat reduced by 0.3%
Bowen noted that any policy on reformulation will only be effective if meaningful engagement takes place with the food and drink industry.
Ensuring The Success
The Ibec group representing the food and drink sector said that it welcomes the opportunity to be consulted on the Roadmap in 2019 and looks forward to engaging with the Task Force to ensure the success of the reformulation programme.
“For small indigenous food companies, the technical challenges of reformulation and the time required to reformulate some products must be acknowledged," she said.
"State supports will be needed to assist SME’s in addressing these challenges. FDI has already commenced engagement with Enterprise Ireland and the Prepared Consumer Food Centre located at Teagasc Ashtown on how best to aid companies to achieve these new reformulation targets," Bowen added.
“The food and drink industry is committed to ongoing engagement with the FSAI and Department of Health to improve public health,” she concluded.
© 2021 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more Fresh Produce news, click here. Click sign up to subscribe to Checkout.
