Funding launched to help Scottish food and drink manufacturers make food healthier and meet HFSS goals
Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland has launched a new round of funding to support Scottish food and drink manufacturers to make their food healthier and prepare for new high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) regulations due to come into force later this year.
The funding is open to any manufacturers looking to improve the nutritional profile of their products – including products that are not in scope of the HFSS regulations.
Scottish SME food and drink manufacturers can now apply for up to £5,000 to support reformulation projects that improve the nutritional content of existing products.
The Food (Promotion and Placement) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 will come into force on 1 October 2026. Under the regulations, products classified as HFSS using the UK Nutritional Profile Model (NPM) score will face restrictions on where and how they can be promoted in store.
HFSS products in scope will no longer be eligible for location-based promotions, such as end‑of‑aisle or store entrance displays, or volume price promotions like buy‑one‑get‑one‑free or multi‑buy offers. Seasonal and provenance promotions – including Burns Night, St Andrew’s Day and Christmas – will also be affected.
Categories in scope include soft drinks with added sugar, confectionery, breakfast cereals, yoghurts and desserts, cakes and biscuits, savoury snacks, pizza, ready meals, chips and other potato products.
FDF Scotland’s Reformulation for Health Programme helps Scottish SME food and drink manufacturers make their products healthier, for the benefit of public health. The team has already helped a number of Scottish brands supplying the English market to reformulate products and adapt successfully to HFSS requirements.
With the Scottish regulations now less than six months away, FDF Scotland is urging manufacturers to take action – particularly those that rely on instore promotions or take part in seasonal and provenance campaigns.
Alongside the funding, the team offers free, confidential support, including help to understand the regulations, calculate NPM scores and identify reformulation opportunities across all product categories. Funding of up to £5,000 can be used for costs such as trial ingredients, nutritional analysis, recipe development software and specialist consultancy. NPM scores will be calculated before and after reformulation to demonstrate nutritional improvements.
Applications are open until 31 May 2026.
Joanne Burns, Reformulation for Health Manager at FDF Scotland, said:
“With the Scottish HFSS regulations coming into force this October, reformulation is one of the most effective ways businesses can protect shelf space and promotional activity – while also improving the nutritional content of their products.
“Through our Reformulation for Health Programme, we offer free, confidential support to help manufacturers understand their NPM scores and identify realistic reformulation options. This new round of funding is designed to remove some of the cost and risk involved, and we would strongly encourage Scottish SMEs to take advantage of the support now, ahead of the regulations coming into effect.”
Manufacturers can apply via the NPM Reduction Fund survey or access free support by emailing reformulation@fdfscotland.org.uk.
ENDS
Notes for editors:
- Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland is a division of the FDF - the voice of the food and drink manufacturing industry – the UK's largest manufacturing sector. For more information about FDF Scotland and the industry we represent, visit our website.
For more information, please contact kirsty.tinsdale@fdfscotland.org.uk / 07508 303 736.