The food industry is flooded with reformulations, but consumers are not yet convinced.

In the food industry, reformulation is the buzzword right now. It's everywhere. It's everywhere. Unilever replaces Ben & Jerry'svegan ice cream by Nestlé prioritizes sugar reductionAll major manufacturers are restructuring their products.

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PepsiCo announced the reformulation last week. Doritos is one of their flagship brands. In a statement, the American multinational said that in addition to making its famous chips "crunchier", it also reduced salt by 24 % and fat by 15 %, making them HFSS compliant.

FoodNavigator reported that manufacturers are always reformulating their products. This could be due to small changes in the recipe to improve the taste, texture or nutritional value of the product, or simply a change in supplier.

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The service sector is also getting involved. KFC reformulates its expensive productsReduce your salt, sugar and fat intake

There are many reasons why brands reformulate their products, including: Rising prices of raw materialsSugar is the main reason. HFSS Compliance.

A spokesperson for the World Health Organization said: "Food reformulation is one way to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious and safe foods."

It seems the industry has heard and is accepting the change.

FoodNavigator reported that “regulators are encouraging brands to reformulate their products to make them healthier, through nutrition labeling systems such as non-HFSS or Nutri-Score,” Peterse said.

Additionally, the industry encourages and supports brands to reformulate their products to reduce levels of salt, sugar and fat.

A spokesperson for the Food and Drink Federation told Food Navigator that manufacturers are aware of the importance they can play in providing healthier products to consumers. This includes adapting recipes from favourite brands, launching new product ranges with less sugar, salt or calories or adding fibre and fruit and vegetables.

While most of the industry is embracing the trend towards foods and drinks with less fat, sugar and salt, many consumers are not as enthusiastic. Why?

Why are consumers slow to adopt reformulations?

Although consumers do not seem to be against food reformulation, they are reluctant. This is because they believe that reducing certain ingredients such as salt or sugar will result in a loss of taste.

Davies of Action on Salt says that "communication focused on reducing nutrients of concern risks creating a false impression that a product has a less appealing taste and texture, and is 'inferior' to its original formulation."

What exacerbates this perception is the failure of brands to communicate to consumers the benefits of reformulation.

Davies says that "healthy consumers welcome reformulations that reduce sugar, sodium and calories. However, the benefits should not be limited to the health-conscious." Effective communication is key to determining whether a product will be accepted or not.

How can the industry better communicate with its consumers? Answer: focus on the positive aspects of the reformulation process, not the negative ones.

Davies says brands should focus on positive messaging when communicating product redesigns. This will help customers transition smoothly and retain loyalty. It’s more beneficial to focus on increasing fibre, flavour or veg content than reducing.

Another method, already used by many manufacturers, is to adopt a strategy called “health through stealth.” This involves reformulating products to reduce fat, sugar or salt content without the customer noticing. The changes should be so subtle and gradual that customers don’t even notice them.

According to Davies, a health-by-silence approach is much more effective when it comes to food reformulation. By reformulating foods gradually, consumers' taste buds adapt to the new taste without even realizing it. This allows consumers to continue buying the foods they love without changing their behavior.

Yoplait recently reduced the sugar content of its children's yogurts. The brands deliberately slowed down the reduction process to allow consumers to adapt without having to switch to sweeter products.

Ewa Muxham, marketing director at Yoplait UK, believes that the sugar reduction policy of recent years may have unintended consequences.

PepsiCo understood its mission perfectly when it announced the reformulation of Doritos. It issued a very forceful statement to excite, not scare, fans.

Robert Lowery is Senior Director of Research and Development for UK Foods at PepsiCo. He said: “Our teams have spent years perfecting the art of tortilla chips and this recipe is the culmination of all their hard work to achieve the iconic Doritos Crunch.” We can’t hold our breath until these Doritos hit shelves. They’ve been given the thumbs up by Doritos fans and a panel of experts.

However, not everyone is opposed to reformulation in order to comply with HFSS. Gradually, more and more people are beginning to see the benefits of reformulation.

Davies of Action on Salt says public acceptance and support for the reformulations is growing.

If executed correctly, they could increase consumer confidence and attract new customers.

Tate & Lyle’s Peterse says brands can’t ignore the opportunity to improve their reputation and create value by improving their nutritional profiles. But it’s not just about reputation. There’s also a business opportunity, as great-tasting foods and drinks with less sugar and calories will help build brand loyalty and trust, leading to sales growth.