Food and drink manufacturers across the UK are increasingly investing in healthier product development, according to new figures from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF). Around £180 million was channelled into reformulating and launching better-for-you products last year, as part of wider industry efforts to reduce salt, sugar, and calorie content.
Compared to a decade ago, 31% of UK manufacturers have reduced salt, 30% have lowered sugar, and 24% have cut calories in their products. These improvements are being supported by targeted investment in research and development. Notable examples include PepsiCo’s £13 million upgrade to its Doritos range, and the introduction of new vegetable-focused SKUs such as Bird’s Eye’s Steamfresh line, which added 3.5 million portions of vegetables to the UK market in the past year.
Despite these gains, rising operational costs and regulatory pressures are hampering further investment. More than 40% of UK food brands have scaled back their healthy product innovation initiatives due to financial constraints.
The FDF is urging the government to provide additional funding and a more structured partnership with the sector, particularly as it develops its upcoming Food Strategy. The call includes support for mandatory health transparency across the supply chain and greater alignment across regulatory measures.