McVitie’s to make iconic product ‘healthier’ in major recipe change

McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes could be made ‘healthier’ under a major shake-up of some of Britain’s best-known snacks.

Owner Pladis plans to alter existing recipes so that more of its products contain less sugar, salt and saturated fat.

Products could also be reformulated to contain higher levels of fibre and protein.

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The iconic chocolate-covered orange treats are among several McVitie’s favourites that could be affected by the changes, as reported by What’s The Jam.

Other major products made by the biscuit manufacturer include Digestives, Chocolate Digestives, Hobnobs, Rich Tea and Ginger Nuts.

However, Pladis has not yet confirmed which individual recipes will be changed or when reformulated products could reach supermarket shelves.

The company said it wanted to double the sales volume of products offering what it considers a “better nutritional balance” by 2030.

Around 10 per cent of its current sales volume comes from products meeting the new criteria.

Pladis intends to reach its target by altering existing recipes, introducing new products and expanding successful ranges into more countries.

Dr Jennifer Moss, chief research and development officer at Pladis, said: “People don’t buy biscuits and chocolate because they’re looking for a lecture on nutrition – they buy them because they enjoy them.

“Great taste will always come first.

“What is changing is that consumers increasingly want more choice.

“They want products that fit their lifestyles and wellbeing goals, but they still expect the same great taste.

“We believe the brands that succeed in the future will be the ones that can deliver both.”

Pladis, which also owns Jacob’s, Carr’s and Ülker, has created a global nutrition framework to determine which recipes meet its new standards.

Designed by company scientists, it draws upon recognised systems including France’s Nutri-Score, Australia’s Health Star Rating and the UK Nutrient Profile Model used to identify foods high in fat, salt or sugar.

The framework considers nutrients people are encouraged to consume more of, such as fibre and protein, as well as those many shoppers want to reduce.

Pladis said it had already removed 676 tonnes of sugar from recipes in the UK – the equivalent of approximately 169 million teaspoons.

McVitie’s previously changed the recipes of several popular biscuits in 2020 to reduce their sugar and salt content.

Those products included Original Digestives, Rich Tea, Chocolate Digestives, Hobnobs, Chocolate Hobnobs, Caramel Digestives and Ginger Nuts.

Elsewhere, Pladis has reduced sugar and salt while increasing fibre in its Sultana fruit biscuits sold in the Netherlands.

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