Valio has committed to a new nutrition agreement which will see the company reduce the levels of sugar and salt in its product range by 2020.
These targets were established as Valio aims to meet UN goals relating to food quality standards and the health and wellbeing of consumers.
The company claims it will double the number of unflavoured, sugar-free products in its snacks range by 2020, and products which do contain sugar will have between 20 and 50% less sugar than before.
Valio also aims to sell over seven million kilos of its Valio ValSa reduced-salt products annually by 2020 in order to meet its salt reduction commitments.
Four million kilos of ValSa products were sold by the end of 2017, so the company is making progress towards this goal.
The brand also provides a number of recipes on its website for consumers, and Valio has stated that it will provide details of the total salt content in all recipes by 2020.
Valio’s senior vice-president of Research and Technology Anu Kaukovirta-Norja said: “Our commitment is linked in particular to two UN goals: ensuring an adequate standard of food and nutrition, and improving health and wellbeing.
“Meeting these goals is essential, since the world’s population is projected to grow to as much as nine billion by 2030. In Valio’s sustainability programme, we have committed to concrete actions that respond to global nutrition challenges.
“Innovations to improve health and wellbeing have been part of Valio already for decades, since Nobel Prize winner A.I. Virtanen was heading the Valio laboratory.
“Valio website contains one of Finland’s most popular recipe collections. The site receives an average of 1.1 million visitors a month, and has around 4,000 recipes.
“This gives us a great opportunity, and also a responsibility, to help consumers to make smart food choices. People need healthy products, especially in their everyday lives.
“Of course, a few treats now and then are also part of overall wellbeing.”
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