Is additive-free the future?

Until a few years ago no one other than diet obsessives read the back of food packs. Now, we're all food detectives, comparing fat content and rejecting anything containing the much demonised hydrogenated fat.

Media scares have only upped the ante and made health conscious consumers fearful of eating anything of uncertain provenance.

The British public worked its way through £910m worth of ready meals last year, so it's a big-money business, which means the impact on manufacturers' profits could be significant if they don't take action to make ready meals healthier.

The supermarkets have been quick to react to consumers' growing need to know exactly what is in their food. Marks & Spencer announced recently that by mid 2006 it will have removed hydrogenated fat from its entire food range. This follows on from its initiative to remove artificial flavourings, artificial colourings and hydrogenated fats from all its chilled ready meals. Guy Farrant, director of food at Marks & Spencer, comments: "We know consumers are concerned about additives. Over the last few months we've gone back to the kitchen to make over 450 recipe changes."

Tesco has also banned all artificial ingredients from its range of 450 ready meals and will have rolled out its new recipe meals by February.

While it's good news that health issues are getting the attention they need and that manufacturers are prepared to adapt their production methods to give consumers what they want, most of the additive-free ranges seem to be premium ones. Shouldn't 'healthier' food be available to all consumers? How can it be when these ranges cost up to twice the price of many standard lines? Research has shown that children are the most affected by the inclusion of additives in their food so why aren't children's ranges the first to be changed?

It is also disappointing that big stores aren't taking more of an active lead in encouraging customers to cook from scratch - an obvious and easy way to cut out unnecessary additives.

Joanne Finney is a writer at Good Housekeeping​​