Responsible product development

The Responsibility Deal is a government–led initiative to tap into the potential for businesses and other influential organisations to help improve public health. Many food manufacturers are signing up to specific pledges, but product reformulation is not straightforward within these constraints.

We asked Rachel Gwinn to explain the issues:

"The Deal poses several problems for those involved with product development. One is the question of degree. When reducing salt, fat or sugar levels, for example, do you go down the route of reducing it by a significant margin, potentially allowing a nutrition claim to be made (and highlighting that the product might taste different), or is it best to reduce by a series of smaller margins (by stealth), so that changes are more easily accepted by the consumer?"

This seems to be a fundamental decision that needs to be made. Presumably, it depends on the product and the ingredient. "Yes, individual ingredients pose specific problems. Sugar reduction is covered under the 'calorie reduction pledge', and manufacturers have been looking at ways of reducing sugar levels in a variety of formulated products for some time. However, sugar often has a functional role in the product, not just a sweetening role. So there is no simple fix – a 'tool box' approach is often required."

Sugar is also significant for microbiological growth control, as is salt. What problems does this pose?

"Both challenges include compensating for changes in flavour perception, technological function and microbiological control. The many options for reducing salt include direct or partial replacers, flavour enhancers, and finding different ways of 'presenting' salt particles (hollow salt balls, fine or flaked salt), so that lower levels have the same flavour effect."

And what about fat?

"Fat provides many functions in food, including flavour and texture. There is much work being undertaken under the banner of fat reduction, such as the use of ingredients to mimic texture properties, and novel emulsion systems (e.g. water–oil–water and gel–in–oil emulsions)."

Rachel Gwinn
+44(0)1386 842034
rachel.gwinn@campdenbri.co.uk