UK-based ingredients supplier Ulrick & Short is working alongside the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland’s Reformulation for Health program to provide ingredient solutions for healthy reformulations in the bakery and meat sectors. 

Funded by the Scottish government, the Reformulation for Health program was established following a 2018 governmental report outlining ambitions to improve Scotlands dietary health.

“The impacts of a poor diet and obesity are profound in Scotland and require a holistic approach to tackle this challenge,” Joanne Burns, FDF Scotland product reformulation manager, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

Public health top of mind
Obesity is one of the biggest long term public health challenges of this generation. In Scotland, and the rest of the UK, developing healthy and sustainable products for consumers is crucial to address this, comments Robert Lambert, marketing and communications at Ulrick & Short.

“We already play a big role throughout the UK when it comes to product reformulation, and we will continue to develop our ingredient technologies to help with issues such as fat, sugar and calorie reduction,” he explains. 

“Food and drink businesses take the health of the Scottish people very seriously,” continues Burns. 

Product reformulation, though challenging, is rated as the most effective way industry can help to tackle poor dietary health. Initially reformulation focused on reducing specific food ingredients in a product – including salt, fat and sugars. 

“But now food companies are also changing recipes to make them healthier by adding ingredients, such as fiber, vegetables and fruit to everyday products,” she explains. 

Ambitious, but achievable
“Our ingredient technologies allow bakers and manufacturers to reduce fat and sugar by up to 50 percent, depending on applications,” adds Lambert. 

He says the reformulation targets are “ambitious, but achievable.”

Healthy reformulation is, and has been for some time, a development priority for Ulrick & Short, Lambert asserts.

“The current situation with COVID-19 has placed even more emphasis on health in the eyes of consumers and retailers alike.”

A strategic partnership
The program offers reformulation advice to all small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) food manufacturers. 

It is tasked with enabling healthy product reformulation in areas such as fat, sugar and salt reduction, fiber fortification, and general advice on portion size and product labeling.

“We’re offering our technical support and clean label ingredient technologies to all bakeries and food manufacturers. We have solutions for nearly all sectors and applications,” Short concludes.