Saturated Fat and Energy Programme

Dr Corinne Vaughan chaired the meeting and she introduced the subject. She stressed that it was still early days in relation to finalising detail of the proposed consumer awareness campaign planned for early 2009.

It was acknowledged that industry had concerns over demonising certain foods and CV felt it important to re-iterate the benefits of eating foods as a source of nutrients. The FSA's role would be to promote healthy balanced diet and its role in achieving balance for consumers.

The strategic plan comes from the Public Health objective to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and reduce intake of cholesterol. The plan would:-
• Reduce the average intake of saturated fat from 13.3% to below 11% of food energy
• Develop and implement a strategy for calorie intakes which contributes to achieving a balance between calorie intake and energy output.

Key threads of the Programme would be
• Consumer awareness
• Greater availability of healthy options
• Smaller portion sizes
• Mainstream product reformulation

Outside the Programme FSA activity in this respect includes working on commitments from caterers to reduce fat and salt levels in business and industry, pubs, casual drinking, quick service restaurants and coffee shops.

The FSA campaign will attempt to push consumers into changing their diets. They acknowledge that there is a big difference between consumers' awareness and understanding, their intent and their actions and habit.

It was outlined that the targets for change would be what they defined as “Balance Seekers” and “Should Do Mores”. Groups who know they should be changing their eating habits but need encouragement. (Sounds like everyone!) It is likely that mothers from late 20s to early 50s would be the largest portion of the targeted audience.

FSA would use predominantly television because of its widespread and accelerated capability. By deploying television FSA would hope to make the campaign both a media and industry issue. They would attempt to create upward consumer demand. 96 sheet poster sites and adshells would ensure revealing the message in areas of greatest need by using eye-catching and precise posters that make consequences public.

The eatwell website would be promoted with consideration given to personal coaching plans, interactive profiling, 1-2-1 e mail advice and encouragement, 1-2-1 text advice and encouragement.

Conclusion:
1. Since there is an aim to help improve consumer awareness and understanding of saturated fat to enable consumers to make informed choices it would be wise to ask QMS to produce nutritional advice for cuts of beef, lamb and pork.
2. SFMTA should push ahead with project through FSA and Abertay to benchmark saturated fat and salt levels in beef sausages and test acceptability against a reformulated recipe that would take the product into the FSA's amber category for both fat and salt using the traffic lights system.