CAFRE and FSA: Aiming for sweet success!

‘Childhood obesity: a plan for action’ was published in England in 2016 aiming to significantly reduce rates of childhood obesity within 10 years.

CAFRE and FSA supporting businesses to create reduced sugar snacking choices for a healthier future.

Today nearly a third of children aged 2 to 15 are overweight or obese and younger generations are becoming obese at earlier ages and staying obese for longer.

Evidence shows that slowly changing the balance of ingredients in everyday products, or making changes to product size, is a successful way of improving diets.   

As part of this plan all sectors of the food and drinks industry will be challenged to reduce sugar across a range of products that contribute to children’s sugar intakes by at least 20% by 2020. Industry can achieve this through reduction of sugar levels in products, reducing portion size or shifting purchasing towards lower sugar alternatives.

This programme will be led by Public Health England (PHE) and will initially focus on the nine categories that make the largest contributions to children’s sugar intakes.

In Northern Ireland the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are leading the ‘Eating Well Choosing Better’ programme, through Programme for Government, to compliment this ambition for food product improvement with small / medium sized Northern Ireland food businesses.

Ice cream is one of the nine identified product categories so in partnership with the FSA, CAFRE Loughry Campus are developing a practical programme of work specifically for ice cream manufactures to assist the sector tackle these challenges.

The demand for ice cream products continues to show no sign of decline with retail growth experienced year on year regardless of the current obesity epidemic. On average the UK consume 337 million litres of ice cream annually. Consumption is greater in Northern Ireland compared to the other regions with the ice cream market here being valued at £72million (2017).

Despite the continued popularity of ice cream, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of high sugar foods. The sugar content of ice cream typically makes up at least 12% of the product and many consumers are seeking reduced sugar options.

CAFRE’s experienced food technologists have the knowledge to help with the most challenging and technical aspects of sugar reduction, resulting in reformulation without compromising on quality.    

For more information on this programme of work or to register your interest, contact Fiona Ferguson, Senior Food Technologist @ fiona.ferguson@daera-ni.gov.uk or alternatively on 028 867 68148.

Notes to editors: 

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