Shaping a healthier nation: food and drink brands slash sugar, salt and calorie levels by a fifth in five years

New data shows that in the last five years, the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) members – which represent the UK’s best-loved food brands and innovative start-ups – have cut the salt (18%), sugar (19%) and calories (17%) they contribute to the British grocery market by nearly a fifth¹.

The data demonstrates that, on average, branded² food and drink has become healthier. Since 2021, the NPM score of FDF members’ products has improved by 13%³. The Government’s NPM – Nutrient Profiling Model – gives every food or drink a score, with a lower score indicating a healthier product⁴.

FDF’s latest Shaping a Healthier Future report highlights that this progress is thanks to decades of innovation and investment from food and drink manufacturers developing new healthier options for shoppers. As well as providing a range of healthy staples that support balanced diets, from tinned and frozen vegetables to oats and grains, food manufacturers have invested millions⁵ in developing new products, and adapting existing well-loved recipes to reduce salt, sugar and calories and add portions of fruit, vegetables and fibre. For example:

• Since 2024, Kellogg’s has cut the total sugars in its classic All-Bran cereal by 17%. All-Bran has been on the market in the UK for over a century. The cereal is fortified with vitamins and iron and provides a third of daily fibre requirements.
• After three years of research and development, Danone UK and Ireland has reduced sugar across its Core and Triple Action Actimel ranges to by 9%. All Actimel products now contain less than 10g sugar per 100g.
• Following three years of testing and development, Premier Foods launched Mr Kipling Delicious & Light. This was the first full range of cakes to meet government’s healthier eating guidelines, designed to offer a healthier treat. Including Bramley Apple Pies, Bramley Apple & Blackcurrant Pies, Angel Slices and Chocolate Slices, the products contain 30% less sugar, lower fat and salt, real fruit, and up to ten times more fibre.

Research from Nesta, the research and innovation foundation, shows that making simple swaps to healthier alternatives, like these new products, could halve obesity rates in the UK in five years⁶.

Despite this demonstratable progress, and the evidence that small changes make a big difference over time, the government is currently proposing to change the rules, which will put much of this work at jeopardy. It wants to change the NPM to prevent these healthier products from being able to be advertised to shoppers.  This risks these products being taken off shop shelves, which would reduce the range of healthier alternatives available to shoppers.

FDF is calling on government to pause plans to change the NPM⁷, and instead bring forward at pace other proposals to make reporting of healthier food sales data mandatory across the food sector⁸. This would require companies to publish standardised, consistent data, creating a transparent way of measuring progress towards healthier diets across companies and sales. This is a novel, world-first, approach which industry agrees will continue to incentivise companies to develop more, healthier options for shoppers while also supporting government efforts to evaluate health policies more effectively. The scheme should be extended to hospitality venues too.

Kate Halliwell, Chief Scientific Officer, The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), said:

“Food and drink manufacturers are committed to supporting consumers make healthier choices which will help improve diets. They’ve invested hundreds of millions of pounds over many years in changing products that shoppers know and love to make them healthier as well as appealing to shoppers. And this latest data shows that tremendous positive progress continues to be made.

“Now we need government support to take it to the next level. Maintaining a stable regulatory environment will give businesses the confidence they need to keep making investments in the development of healthier products. The UK is already a world leader in healthier product innovation, and bringing in mandatory reporting on healthier food sales would help to incentivise businesses of all sizes to go further, and build momentum on supporting healthier diets.”

Notes to editors

1. Worldpanel by Numerator - GB Take Home Food & Drink - Nutrient volume contribution (percentage difference), FDF total members, 2025 vs 2021
2. Branded food and drink products refer to food and drink produced by FDF total members.
3. Worldpanel by Numerator - GB Take Home Food & Drink - sales weighted average Nutrient Profile Model score, FDF total members, 2021, 2025. The average NPM score of FDF member products is 3.3 in 2025, compared to 3.8 in 2021. A score above 4 for food is considered ‘less healthy’.
4. The NPM is the scale that the Government uses to determine which products are designated ‘less healthy’ and will be subject to restrictions on advertising and promotions. A score above 4 for food is considered ‘less healthy’. The average score of FDF products is now 3.3.
5. Findings from the FDF State of Industry Survey, estimate that 50-60% of the industry’s R&D spend, or £167m – £200m, was dedicated to healthier product innovation in 2024.
6. https://www.nesta.org.uk/report/modelling-ways-to-improve-our-health/
7. Government is consulting on changing the model so that products like high fibre breakfast cereals, fruit yoghurts, jarred pasta sauces, and many healthier swaps would be at risk of being designated less healthy.
8. Government had committed to introducing mandatory reporting by the end of this Parliamentary term (2029).