Sat fats and sugar reduced in Irish diets between 2005 – 2017
Voluntary reformulation by industry reduced sodium in products by 28%, saturated fat by 10% and sugar by 8%
Print20 February 2019
Irish diets have benefited from decreases in sugar and saturated fat between 2005 and 2017 as a result of voluntary undertakings by food and drink companies.
This is the finding of a new report by Food Drink Ireland (FDI) entitled ‘The Evolution of Food and Drink in Ireland, 2005 – 2017’, which was launched today by Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec, Linda Stuart-Trainor, director of Prepared Consumer Foods in FDI and Dr. Pamela Byrne, CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
The main findings of the report are:
Direct reformulation of products on the market in both 2005 and 2017:
- Sodium reduced by 28%
- Saturated fat reduced by 10.1%
- Sugar reduced by 8%
- Energy reduced by 1.6%
- Total fat reduced by 0.3%
Reductions in sugar intake between 2005 and 2017:
- Adult sugar intake reduced by 0.8g/day
- Teen sugar intake reduced by 2.7g/day
- Child sugar intake reduced by 3.2g/day
- Pre-schooler sugar intake reduced by 2.0g/day
Reductions in saturated fat intake between 2005 and 2017:
- Adult saturated fat intake reduced by 0.5g/day
- Teen saturated fat intake reduced by 0.2g/day
- Child saturated fat intake reduced by 0.2g/day
- Pre-schooler saturated fat intake remained constant
Results for the other nutrients were more modest, with sodium, total fat and energy intake remaining relatively stable over the period.
“This report demonstrates the food and beverage industry’s ongoing commitment to the societal effort to tackle obesity and improve public health,” said Linda Stuart-Trainor. “Reformulation is a lengthy and complex journey; each step in the right direction counts,” she added. “For many products, changes must be gradual in order to ensure consumer acceptance and lock in the health benefits.”
According to FDI, Ireland has established itself as an international leader in the investigation of food and drink industry reformulation efforts. A previous report in 2016 by the organisation also looked at this data, with the latest report representing “a significant progression of the research methodology, taking a more holistic approach and including new products placed on the market since 2005”.
Ibec CEO Danny McCoy commended the “continued collaboration between government and industry when it comes to improving public health,” as demonstrated by the presence of FSAI and other policy stakeholders at the launch earlier today.
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