The snacking industry may seem harmless. Snacks satisfy hunger cravings and provide a quick energy boost. But these products are often hard to resist – not because of weak willpower, but because they are relentlessly pushed at us. From supermarket checkouts and online ads to high street billboards and even sports sponsorship, unhealthy snacks dominate our environment.
The result? A booming market, growing year after year, filled with products often high in calories, salt, and sugar – posing a significant risk to public health.
Action on Salt and Sugar’s latest report on crisps, nuts, and popcorn reveals troubling inconsistencies in nutritional quality across the market. While some companies have made strides in reducing salt and sugar, others have ignored the call for change.
Our current voluntary approach towards reformulation has proven inadequate, with little motivation for businesses to prioritise health – as evident in the government’s progress reports on reformulation.
The proposed advertising regulations coming into place this October could be a real driver for change. Companies have already started launching new, healthier, and HFSS-compliant ranges, and it’s fascinating to see that when incentives are clear, change is possible.
But is this enough to change the entire food system? Only some food categories will be affected by the legislation, leaving other less healthy foods, often high in salt, open for exploitation.
We know reformulation works – history has shown as much. The initial salt reduction programme in the early 2000s proved to us that reducing the salt content in food was possible. Companies can improve the nutritional quality of their products without compromising taste, quality, or business profit. Yet, in recent years, progress has been patchy at best.
Further change in salt, sugar and calorie reduction will simply not happen at scale unless the government steps in with stronger action in the form of mandatory reformulation targets and fiscal policies, such as taxation, to push all businesses toward compliance.
This will contribute to a more level playing field and a fairer, healthier food system that benefits everyone, particularly the most vulnerable – but only if we push for it.
Sonia Pombo is the head of impact & research for Action on Salt
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