Consumers are increasingly looking for snacks that add nutritional value to their diets, with 73 per cent using them to increase their intake of fruit, vegetables or dairy, according to new research from Bel UK.
The findings come amid debate over proposed changes to the UK’s Nutrient Profiling Model, which could place new advertising and promotional restrictions on everyday products such as yoghurts, cereals and fruit-based snacks.
However, 62 per cent of consumers remain unsure whether foods labelled ‘healthy’ really are, highlighting an opportunity for convenience retailers to help shoppers navigate nutritional claims. Bel UK is calling for a more balanced approach that considers the positive nutritional contribution of foods, alongside nutrients that consumers are advised to limit.
This uncertainty points to a lack of clarity around what constitutes healthier food and raises questions about whether proposed changes to the UK’s Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) could create further confusion.
With some everyday foods, including fruit-based products, yoghurts and cereals, potentially facing new advertising and promotional restrictions, there are concerns that consumers could be left even less clear about what constitutes a healthy choice.
Bel UK, the company behind Babybel, The Laughing Cow and GoGo squeeZ, is calling for a more balanced, evidence-led approach to defining healthier foods that considers not just the nutrients we should limit, but also the positive contribution foods can make to a balanced diet.
A new White Paper, developed in partnership with Sustainable Foods, acknowledges the important role of regulation in supporting healthier diets but questions whether the current Nutrient Profiling Model adequately reflects the overall nutritional value of certain food categories. It recommends an evidence-led review of how these are assessed before NPM 2018 is used more widely.
The paper highlights fruit purée as one example, where the treatment of sugars under the model may not capture the full nutritional picture, potentially overlooking the role these foods can play as part of a balanced diet.
The need for a more balanced approach is reflected in consumers’ own snacking habits. Alongside the 73% using snacks to add fruit, vegetables or dairy to their diets, a quarter (25%) say they snack to maintain energy levels, while 19% look to boost protein intake and 15% to support gut health.
But with six in ten consumers still uncertain about healthy food claims, the research highlights the importance of making nutritional information clearer and easier to translate into everyday choices.
Recognising that progress requires both an informed industry debate and practical consumer education, Bel UK said it is putting its Snack Healthy, Live Fully ambition into action through partnerships, education and product innovation.
Working with leading nutritionist Rob Hobson and the British Nutrition Foundation, the company has developed Getting Snacktive, a practical guide designed to simplify healthier snacking around three nutritional building blocks: Fibre + Colour + Protein.
Encouraging consumers to think not just about what they fancy, but what their bodies need, the guide has been supported by an integrated consumer campaign, including activity across Tesco stores.
David Brandman, Managing Director at Bel UK & Ireland, commented: “Consumers increasingly recognise that healthy eating isn’t just about what we cut out, but what we put into our diets. Yet our research shows many still struggle to understand what healthy really means. Regulation has an important role to play in supporting healthier diets, but as the debate around nutrient profiling continues, we believe it’s important to recognise the positive nutritional contribution foods can make, alongside the nutrients we need to limit.
“At Bel UK, our Snack Healthy, Live Fully ambition is about putting this thinking into practice. Through innovation, education and partnerships, we want to help make healthier choices clearer, simpler and easier to put into everyday practice.”