Why food companies rush to reduce ingredients

For Kerry Clayton without gluten, citrus and tomato, shopping and cooking are a challenge.

In addition to his own food requirements, her 10 -year -old son is without dairy and wheat products.

The family is shopping in several stores every week to get the best free options, cooking adaptable meals such as potatoes and jackets, and makes cakes and cookies from zero.

It spends about an hour a week to cook, in addition to directing two online jewelry companies and parenting of another child.

When M&S launched its only range in March, with products with six ingredients or less, Ms. Clayton described it as “a dream”.

It was despite higher prices – its corn flocks with an ingredient cost £ 2.50 for a box of 325 g, against 90p for 500 g of the standard type.

“For standard buyers, it seems a lot, but for us with allergies, this is a normal question,” explains Ms. Clayton, based in Kent.

“It is difficult to find pleasant things that we can all eat. If you are used to the luxury of standard cereals, you may not appreciate alternatives or understand the additional cost – but for those of us who need low ingredient food, it's perfect.”

Life could be about to become much easier for Ms. Clayton. More and more retailers and food marks take the lead of M&S to offer more articles containing fewer ingredients, likely by the concern about ultra-transformed food (UPF) which has developed since Dr. Chris Van Tulleken published his book, “Ultra-Traied People” in 2023.

There are a lot of debates on how to classify ultra-transformed foods.

However, less processed foods gain popularity.

Matthew Hopkins, founder of Ind! E, a platform that helps small food brands and drinks to embark on large retailers, says that it has seen a 40% increase in requests for information in the past year on products with fewer ingredients. He takes larger orders specifically from Ocado, Selfridges and John Lewis.

“The retailers respond to the growing demand of consumers of lists of simpler and more recognizable ingredients,” explains Hopkins, based in Harrogate.

Feeling the need to offer a less treated product, the brand based on plants, which makes meatless sausages, hamburgers, chicken and bacon, recently launched a new range of superality over -religions.

It is designed to be the protein component of a meal and has natural ingredients, such as beans, seeds and mushrooms.

This also responds to surveys indicating that buyers are Avoid meat replacement productsDue to their transformed nature and the presence of artificial additives.

Luke Byrne, director of innovation and sustainability, is concerned about “the confusion and hesitation of consumers”.

“We understand that we are classified as an UPF, however, which has little influence on the question of whether our products are healthy, because their nutritional properties are extremely good. Our products are rich in protein, rich in fiber, low in saturated fats and weak in sugar,” explains Mr. Byrne, based in London.

“It has been frustrating in many ways because it has removed the attention from the most important thing about food, which is the nutritional aspect.”

Has the public therefore misleaded that all ultra-transformed foods are bad, and that all unprocessed food is good?

The nutritionist, Dr. Laura Wyness, thinks, expressing the disappointment that the M&S range puts only “the media on health”.

“Consumers may look for products with shorter ingredient lists, but leaving aside fortified nutrients is a back-to-back step for public health nutrition. We should encourage foods richer in nutrients in food and fortifying products such as vegetable milk and dairy alternatives and breakfast cereals”, explains Dr. Wyness, based in Dr. Wyness Edinburgh.

“This seems to be an opportunity that the customer is not always right – mainly because of the disinformation that informs his food choices.”

Dr Jibin he says that UPF as a term is not a useful indicator for knowing if something is healthy or unhealthy, as a concept, and how it is explained to the public, is defective.

The processed foods, notes Dr. HE, will remain an essential part of the food of an important and increasing human population, because the treatment guarantees food security, extends the conservation time and reduces waste.

“Take the tofu for example. It is a great source of protein, low in fat and considered as a healthy alternative to meat, especially red meat. It is also more environmentally friendly.

“However, the tofu could be considered an UPF while red meat would be an unprocessed food,” said Dr. He, who is responsible for science and a food scientist approved at the University of Teesside. He also collaborated with food manufacturers and food technology companies to improve processing technologies.

He maintains that the tofu could fall into the ultra-suitable category if he had certain additives.

For food brands that wish to create less processed products, DR He advises that this can be done by simplifying the formulas of existing products and by examining new processing and packaging technologies which mean that fewer ingredients can be used.

“Many food products have extremely complex formulas and a manufacturer may not fully understand the functions of each ingredient listed in its formula.

“I would advise food manufacturers to examine their formulas closely and identify the absolutely necessary ingredients and which they can do without,” he recommends DR.

“New food processing technologies can also help produce products with higher nutritional retention and a longer shelf life without considerably modifying the physical structure and the chemical composition of food.”

Dr. It also expects an increase in marketing to push the virtues of less processed food products, as well as to justify their higher prices.

Premium Porridge Brand 3bears, for example, recently launched its own range of breakfast cereals at low ingredient, in partnership with footballer Harry Kane. Mr. Kane appears in the promotion of products and is also a shareholder of the company.

The cinnamon loops of OAT 3BEARS, containing seven ingredients, are at the price of £ 3.99 for 250 g.

This is compared to M&S multigrain hoops, containing five ingredients, to £ 2.50 for 300 grams, while the essential multi -picked hoops Waitrose are £ 1.25 for 375 grams and contain 22 ingredients.

“With our oatmeal, it was really difficult to obtain the texture and crunching it correctly – because we only wanted to use three ingredients, and oat is very different to deal with than other grains. With the costs of creating products with less higher ingredients and the more difficult process, prices reflect this,” explains Caroline Nichols, Co -founding of 3bes. Caroline Nichols.

For certain foods, the Debate on the UPF seems less a problem.

The British confectionery market continue to grow regularlyAnd is worth around 14.8 billion pounds sterling, although it has a high proportion of UPF products.

The Little Moon ice cream ball brand could list more than 30 ingredients on some of its flavors, but it now exports from the United Kingdom to 35 countries, and supermarkets copied it with clean brand versions.

Ross Farquhar, director of marketing, innovation and durability of the company, is convinced that Treat Food Brands can browse the UPF storm, so it is not in a hurry to reduce the list of Little Moon ingredients.

“The reality of a category like ice cream is that some ingredients are necessary to maintain the stable product through the food supply chain, such as emulsifiers and stabilizers. So, unless we are all going to start making house cream regularly, so standard ice cream still has a role to play,” said Farquhar, based in London.

“I am sure that the M&S chocolate bars are delicious, but they speak to a very specific audience, and I doubt that large confectionery are willing to compromise the main attributes of the product that consumers love.”