Bakers, butchers and other small and medium-sized food producers across Scotland had been cutting the amount of such ingredients in some cases by more than half, said the Scottish Food & Drink Federation (SFDF).
Since 2011, small and medium-sized producers have received free, tailored recipe reformulation support as part of the SFDF’s Reformulation Programme funded by the Scottish government.
The SFDF has published Reformulation for Health: Guidance for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), which captures the programme’s success stories and shows how other firms can achieve similar things.
Case studies
Case studies include Stromness-based bakery Stockan’s, which has cut the salt content in its oatcake range by 20%, and butcher Skinner of Kippen, which halved the salt content of its steak pie gravy.
Aberdeenshire-based Chalmers Bakery reduced the sugar in its Empire biscuits’ shortbread base by 17%, cutting calories, and the fat content of its pastry shells by 30%. And Moray-based Maclean’s Highland Bakery lowered the salt content of its buttery range by 25%.
In addition, during the programme, seasoning companies Dalesman, Dalziel, Kerry, and Scobie & Junor, created new lower salt seasonings to help Scottish butchers make healthier sausages.
“Over the last three years, SFDF’s Reformulation Programme has helped smaller companies, who typically do not have a significant technical new product development resource or in-house reformulation, to do their bit in improving consumer health,” said SFDF director Dr Colette Backwell. “We hope their efforts will inspire others.”