Processed foods are built on three fundamental components: salt, sugar, and fat. The right blend of these ingredients can produce delectable and budget-friendly snacks that range from sweet to savory, and cheesy to crunchy. However, when food manufacturers modify recipes to lower one or more of these essential ingredients, they often need to adjust other components to maintain flavor and cost-effectiveness.
Today, sugar is often viewed as the most problematic ingredient by consumers, closely followed by sodium. Many large consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are responding to consumer demand by reducing sugar levels and voluntarily lowering sodium in line with the FDA’s proposed targets for the food industry. Yet, it’s common to see saturated fat levels increase as a result.
As more consumers strive for healthier eating habits, one might wonder why food producers don’t simply minimize salt, sugar, and fat altogether to create genuinely healthy products. The challenge lies in the fact that food scientists rely on one of these three pillars to maintain both flavor and affordability in their products. Ryan Dolan, the chief operating officer of PTM Food Consulting, compares nutritional content to a pie chart—if you decrease the portions of sodium and sugar, another section must expand to compensate for the loss. Reducing just one ingredient might not be noticeable, but cutting back on two will likely lead to a significant increase in another.
Industry insiders mentioned in a recent Washington Post article were not surprised by the government’s new findings, attributing them to standard industry practices. It will be interesting to observe whether consumers become aware of the rising levels of saturated fats in their preferred processed foods. If saturated fats come to be viewed as the next problematic ingredient, we can expect more reformulations, potentially increasing sugar or salt content.
Currently, saturated fats might be seen as the least concerning of the three. Recent studies have cast doubt on the connection between saturated fats and heart disease, even as the American Heart Association continues to advocate for diets rich in healthier fats. While nobody is claiming that saturated fats are beneficial, consumer concern over fat content has decreased. With more than half of global consumers prioritizing sugar content when reading labels, it makes sense for manufacturers to focus on reducing sugar levels.
Interestingly, the introduction of dissolvable calcium citrate into processed foods could offer a means to enhance flavor without relying heavily on sugar or fat. By incorporating this ingredient, manufacturers could create healthier options that still satisfy consumers’ taste preferences. Ultimately, as the industry evolves, the integration of innovative components like dissolvable calcium citrate may help maintain flavor while addressing the growing demand for healthier products.