The Changing Landscape of HFSS Foods: What It Means for Your Business
If you’re in the food industry, you’ve probably heard about the growing push to reduce high fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) foods. These changes, driven by government regulations and public health initiatives, aim to tackle obesity, diet-related diseases, and improve nutrition standards. While cutting back on HFSS ingredients sounds simple, the reality is far more complex, and could have major implications for food manufacturers, hospitality businesses, and retailers.
Why HFSS Ingredients Matter Beyond Taste
Fat, salt, and sugar aren’t just flavour enhancers – they have, for centuries, played a critical role in food preservation, texture, and shelf life. Sugar and salt have helped prevent microbial growth, keeping foods safe; even fats in some cultures have been used to exclude air from foods, acting as preservatives.
However, the prevalence of HFSS in everyday foods has triggered the need for intervention. The risk of over-consumption leading to obesity and health risks. Because of the drive to reduce these ingredients in foods, it is important to reassess recipes to ensure there are not increased food safety risks, spoilage, and even outbreaks of foodborne illness.
The Hidden Risks of Reformulation
Reducing HFSS content could have consequences for food safety. For example:
- Sugar Reduction: Sugar acts as a preservative. Removing it may mean a requirement for chemical preservatives, refrigeration, or shorter shelf life. A notable case in 1989 involved Clostridium botulinum growth in food after sugar was replaced with aspartame, resulting in severe illness. (O’Mohony et al, 1990)
- Salt Reduction: Salt supports baking, curing, and inhibits harmful bacteria. Lowering salt could mean a need to add new preservatives, increasing processing time, or changing from ambient to cold storage.
So, what does this mean for your business?
The drive to reduce HFSS content in foods will require careful, strategic planning.
- Check labels for changes in storage requirements – do you need more chiller space if foods that were previously safe at ambient may need to be refrigerated?
- Do you need to adjust supply chain dynamics to accommodate products with a shorter shelf life?
- If carrying out complex processes in-house, such as sous-vide cooking ,assess the impact of any salt or sugar reduction on previous shelf-life assessments, which would have to be repeated for a new recipe.
- Consider any additional checks may you need to make in food storage for safety (blown tins and ambient packs)?
Overall, making foods healthier has to be a good thing, but make sure to avoid any unintended consequences!
O’Mahony, M, Mitchell E, Gilbert, RJ, Hutchinson, DN, Bffegg , NT, Rodhouse, JC. And Morris JE. An outbreak of foodborne botulism associated with contaminated hazelnut yoghurt. Epidemiol. Infect. (1990), 104, 389-395 3 8 9
