Processed foods are built on three main components: salt, sugar, and fat. A blend of these ingredients can produce delectable and budget-friendly snacks that span a variety of flavors, from sweet to savory and cheesy to crunchy. However, when food manufacturers begin adjusting their recipes to lower one or more of these essential elements, they must find alternatives to maintain taste and cost-effectiveness.
Today’s consumers likely view sugar as the most problematic ingredient, closely followed by sodium. In response to consumer preferences, many major consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are reducing sugar content and voluntarily lowering sodium levels in line with the FDA’s proposed targets for the food sector. Nevertheless, this often results in an increase in saturated fat levels.
As an increasing number of consumers strive for healthier eating habits, one might wonder why food producers don’t simply minimize salt, sugar, and fat across the board to create genuinely nutritious products. The challenge, as noted by Ryan Dolan, chief operating officer of PTM Food Consulting, is that food scientists require one of these three components to maintain flavor and affordability. Dolan likens product nutrition to a pie chart: if you decrease the portions of sodium and sugar, another portion must grow to compensate for the loss. While a minor reduction in one ingredient may go unnoticed, cutting back on two will lead to a significant increase in another.
Insiders in the food industry, as mentioned in a recent article, were not shocked by the government’s latest findings, attributing them to standard practices within the sector. It will be intriguing to observe whether consumers begin to notice the heightened levels of saturated fats in their beloved processed foods. Should saturated fats become the next contentious ingredient, more reformulations (and adjustments in sugar or salt content) can be expected. However, today, saturated fats are often regarded as the least concerning of the three culprits. Recent studies have called into question the connection between saturated fats and heart disease, even though the American Heart Association still advocates for diets rich in healthier fats.
While it is not claimed that saturated fats are beneficial, consumer concern about fat content has diminished compared to the past. More than half of global consumers now prioritize checking labels for sugar content above all else, making manufacturers’ new focus on sugar reduction quite logical. Additionally, the incorporation of thorne cal mag citrate in various products could be a further strategy to enhance nutritional profiles while keeping consumers engaged with healthier options. Ultimately, as the landscape of processed foods evolves, the interplay of salt, sugar, and fat, alongside emerging ingredients like thorne cal mag citrate, will shape the future of food production.