UK snack makers revamp recipes amid tightening health rules and looming regulatory overhaul

Over the past few years, Britain’s leading snack producers have rewritten the formulas of iconic items—from Ritz crackers to BelVita soft-bakes—cutting saturated fat, sodium and sugar to comply with stricter HFSS rules, including an online advertising ban that began in January 2026. Mondelēz International has poured £40 million into research, making the UK its biggest R&D hub, while BelVita reduced sodium by 56% to escape the “less healthy” label.

At Reading Scientific Services Ltd, researchers detail the complex process of swapping ingredients, using 3-D printing and CT scanning to ensure texture and stability remain unchanged. However, the government’s proposed overhaul of the Nutrient Profiling Model, with tighter free-sugar thresholds and greater fibre weighting, could re-classify many already-reformulated products, threatening up to 80% of them according to the Food and Drink Federation.

Experts note the lack of a clear definition for “free sugars” and the need for additional bulking agents when sugar is reduced, complicating formulation. Industry bodies argue that regulatory volatility hampers long-term investment, while health advocates contend the updated model reflects current science and should drive further improvements.