Food Watchdog Criticises No Good Foods

Last weekend we munched our way through the equivalent of 500 million Cadbury creme eggs.
In the week leading to Easter 2009, we ate £240m worth of chocolate, over a tenth of our annual total, according to Kantar World Panel, an industry research body.
We may be eating away, but the government is growing more concerned about the nation’s long-term health problems.
In an attempt to tackle increasing obesity and poor health due to an unhealthy diet, costing the NHS £7bn per annum, the Food Standards Agency has issued a mandate for change.
The FSA is instructing food manufacturers to lower saturated fats in cakes, biscuits and chocolate and to manufacture smaller pack sizes of so called treats, like cola cans and chocolate, and make them more widely available.
Saturated fats are harmful as they increase “bad” cholesterol and can block your arteries and increase the likelihood of developing heart disease, whilst excess sugar can cause weight gain as well as tooth decay.
By establishing targets of a ten per cent reduction in saturated fat levels in biscuits, filled chocolate bars and plain cakes, the gauntlet has been thrown to the industry.
Reduction of salt is easier to achieve. However, lowering your intake of saturated fats is much harder to accomplish.
Even PepsiCo UK and Mars, who offer us a trio of unhealthy treats, Walkers crisps, Mars bars and cans of Pepsi cola, have made attempts to lower saturated fat in their products.