This enables them to commit to the government’s ‘Responsibility Deal Saturated Fat Reduction Pledge’.
Public health minister Jane Ellison launched the pledge in October 2013 as part of a drive to cut the amount of saturated fat in our food. According to the recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey, undertaken by the Food Standards Agency, there is clearly much work to be done. The survey reported that the ‘mean intake of saturated fat exceeded the DRV (no more than 11% food energy) in all age/sex groups. For example, mean saturated fat intake for adults aged 19-64 years was 12.6% food energy.
Manufacturers and retailers responsible for producing half of the UK’s food have committed to the pledge, and as a result, it’s anticipated that saturated fat equivalent to more than one and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools will be removed from the nation’s diet during 2014.
“The best way for food manufacturers to reduce saturated fats is to reformulate their recipes,” said John McAughtrie, customer innovation director at AAK. “This can be achieved by including less fat, or by using different types of fat. However, this has to be done without compromising on taste or texture, and we support our customers by finding bespoke solutions for their recipes. One of the key ways we can help is to replace butter in our customers’ recipes.
“Butter is very high in saturated fat, but we have products such as our pumpable shortenings that can be used across a range of products.”
AAK’s Akoblend range can be used to fully replace butter, providing healthier options. It can also be utilised as a partial substitute in ‘butter enriched’ products, or incorporated into products to upgrade the taste of standard margarines for a richer flavour, but without the increased cost of butter.
“We work incredibly closely with manufacturers, testing recipes with reduced saturated fats for taste, mouth feel and shelf life, said McAughtrie. “We have our own laboratories, but often work on-site with our customers.”
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