Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Nomad Foods boss calls on for mandatory 'front-of-pack nutrition labelling'

Nomad Foods boss calls on for mandatory 'front-of-pack nutrition labelling'
iStock image

Food firms should be forced to reveal how healthy or unhealthy their products are, an industry boss has said, calling on ministers to compel companies to publish an annual report.

Chief executive of Nomad Foods, which owns popular brands such as Birds Eye fish fingers, Findus frozen foods and Goodfella’s pizzas, Stéfan Descheemaeker has stated the mandatory publication of what proportion of each firm’s sales count as healthy or unhealthy under government guidelines would kickstart a “nutrition arms race” in which manufacturers would vie with each other to make their products better for health.


“We support measures requiring companies to publish data. We believe that requiring all food companies to do this would drive a nutrition arms race, kickstarting an industry-wide reformulation drive, ultimately increasing the production, sale and consumption of tasty, healthy food,” Descheemaeker told The Guardian.

Additionally, Descheemaeker also urged health secretary Wes Streeting to ensure that all tins and packets of foodstuffs carry "traffic light-style labels" to encourage people to choose more nutritious foods and shun less healthy options.

“We believe that mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling could play a vital role in helping the public understand what is healthy and what is not,” Descheemaeker said. “We’ve seen this work in other European markets, such as France, where ‘nutri-scores’ have been shown to influence healthier purchase decisions.”

For the last seven years Nomad has published figures showing the percentage of its net sales that are deemed healthy under the government’s nutrient profiling model of judging which products contain the right or wrong amounts of fat, salt and sugar. It was now at 93.3 per cent overall healthy, he said, according to the official high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) assessment system.

Nomad has also cut the amount of sugar in its Aunt Bessie’s apple crumbles by 30 per cent and added 15 per cent more fibre so it too now counts as HFSS compliant. The company has also reduced the salt in its products such as Birds Eye fish fingers and potato waffles.

Descheemaeker's call followed a similar appeal by House of Lords food, diet and nutrition and obesity committee that urged ministers to take a much more robust approach to the food industry to help address the obesity “public health emergency”.

It called for routine reporting of sales data, a new salt and sugar tax model modelled on the sugar tax, and “a decisive shift away from voluntary measures to a system of mandatory regulation of the food industry”.

More for you

Glenshire Group appoints Dan Arrandale as property director

Glenshire Group appoints Dan Arrandale as property director

Scottish business conglomerate Glenshire Group has hired Daniel Arrandale as its new Property Director.

Starting in the newly created role last week, Arrandale brings a wealth of industry experience to the business, including his most recent position as Acquisitions Manager for Asda and his previous position as Development Manager at EG Group.

Keep ReadingShow less
Carlsberg Zero
Competition watchdog begins Carlsberg, Britvic merger probe
Competition watchdog begins Carlsberg, Britvic merger probe

Carlsberg shifts marketing focus as drinkers choose cheaper beer

Brewer Carlsberg is shifting some of its marketing focus to cheaper brands, it said on Thursday (31), as consumers in major markets bought cheaper beer and in reduced quantities.

The maker of Kronenbourg 1664, Tuborg and Somersby said beer sales volumes fell by 1.3 per cent in the third quarter, noting declines in China, France and the United Kingdom. Premium sales fell 0.5 per cent in the quarter."In Western Europe, there's no doubt that the average consumer is holding back," CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen told Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less
sustainability, zero waste store, refil lzone
Photo: iStock
Photo: iStock

Consumers value ethics though 'sustainability needs to be competitively priced'

Consumers now want a greater commitment from retailers in cutting food waste, refilling stations, sustainable packaging, and partnering with social purpose organisations, states a recent research, which also highlights that a good majority (69 per cent) of younger consumers are more likely to shop with what they see as socially responsible retailers though price sensitivity still plays a crucial role.

According to the findings, published in Vypr’s Consumer Horizon Report, reducing food waste is the most important factor for the majority of UK consumers (29 per cent), especially for Gen Z women aged 18-24 (38 per cent). More than a third (37 per cent) of men aged 18-24 said they needed food storage advice. A similar number of women aged 18-24 (33 per cent) want meal kits with the exact amount of ingredients included for them to cut down on food waste.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sugro-Wn-News.png
Sugro UK
Sugro UK

Sugro UK unveils new B2B digital enhancements to empower members, retailers

Sugro UK, the number one buying and marketing buying group*, in partnership with b2b.store, is thrilled to announce a further expansion of its existing E-Loyalty scheme programme, which has proven to be very popular with its members and retailers, by introducing E-Loyalty Extra Compliance and Execution scheme as well as E-Coupons.

The E-Loyalty Extra is aimed to boost compliance and execution at retail store level to drive new product launches, core range compliance, some exciting fixture trials with its supply partners and more! It will be available to all member owned and member affiliated retail stores within the group.

Keep ReadingShow less
Paulig acquires Panesar Foods

iStock image

Paulig acquires Panesar Foods

Expanding its footprint in the World Foods category, Paulig has acquired Panesar Foods, a prominent UK-based producer of sauces and condiments.

Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Tipton, Panesar Foods is a family-owned business with three production facilities, employing 308 staff and achieving a turnover of £59 million in the 2023 fiscal year.

Keep ReadingShow less