SANDWICH INDUSTRY AHEAD ON SALT TARGETS

Around 90% of manufactured sandwiches in the UK are now meeting or beating the guidelines set by the Food Standards Agency for 2010 and most major sandwich bars expect to achieve the targets by the deadline.

Research by the British Sandwich Association has revealed that the sandwich industry is well ahead of many sectors of the food industry in meeting Government targets following intensive action by retailers and manufacturers to procure ingredients with low salt and fat levels.  However, further progress is being hampered by the unavoidable salt levels in a number of key ingredients, such as bacon, as well as by consumer resistance for further reductions.

Indeed, one of the key issues facing the industry is that consumers are generally not reducing their salt intake levels at the same pace as the industry reductions and, as a consequence, complaints about the blandness of some products are increasing.

While much is being done to overcome this by increasing the use of flavourings such as sauces and pickles, this is not always sufficient or possible, particularly on some of the more basic standard fillings, such as cheese and tomato.

“To some extent our industry is now suffering from its own efficiency,” says Jim Winship, Director of The British Sandwich Association.   “By moving so quickly in meeting targets two years ahead of the target date, we are on the verge of overtaking consumer palates.   

“While we will continue to pursue reductions in higher salt fillings, such as bacon, we believe that there now needs to be a period of stability to allow consumers to catch up before new targets are set.  If this does not happen, there is a real danger that consumers will start to reject products or even start adding salt themselves, which would undermine all that the Food Standards Agency has been doing to cut consumption.”

According to the research by the British Sandwich Association some 90% of factory made sandwiches now meet the guidelines.   The Guidelines set by the FSA for 2010 are 1.3g salt per 100g of food for high salt varieties and 1g/100g for all others.  Many sandwiches in both categories are now well below these levels.

The major sandwich bar chains have also made a commitment to meet the targets by 2010 and are working towards this.

“The industry has done a tremendous job in reducing salt and fat levels,” says Jim Winship.   “While you will always be able to find higher salt level products on the shelf, as some consumers demand these, the vast majority of products now conform to the guidelines set and will continue to do so.    While we have to cater for all tastes, our members are also committed to clearly labelling products so that people can make reasoned selections that suit their personal health requirements.”

Issued:  25 July 2008

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