Sweet and Savoury Snacks - Recipe for Change Report 2025
The latest Recipe for Change report has revealed significant variations in salt, sugar and calories across sweet and savoury snack products, highlighting the potential and feasibility for further reduction and demonstrating the need for stronger measures that go beyond voluntary programmes.
For the report, Action on Salt and Sugar analysed 1,650 cakes, biscuits, chocolate confectionery, crisps, flavoured nuts and popcorn snacks, and found:
- 76% of cakes and 63% of biscuits exceeded the government’s 20% sugar reduction guidelines.
- A majority of crisps were either below or borderline their maximum salt targets (1.90g for standard potato crisp and 2.25g for salt and vinegar), suggesting room for stricter targets to help encourage further reductions.
- Sweet nuts showed a surprisingly wide variation in salt content, ranging from 0.01 to 1.00g, raising questions about the need for such high salt levels within the formulation of sweet nuts.
As a whole, snack products showed wide variation in calories, salt, and sugar across same subcategories. For example, Mr Kipling’s lemon slice contained 83% more sugar than Fibre One’s lemon drizzle square (41.7g versus 22.8g per 100g) and 22.7% more sugar that Tesco Lemon Cake Slices (41.7g versus 34g per 100g), while Walkers Less Salt crisps revealed 68% less salt than the McCoy’s equivalent (0.67g versus 2.1g per 100g). The findings demonstrate that in many cases such products can be successfully made with lower levels, and there is strong potential for further reformulation.
To incentivise this change, stricter measures are needed and the report calls on the government to extend the successful Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) onto unhealthy foods to encourage companies to make their recipes healthier. With 68% of the public backing an expansion of the SDIL, especially if the funds support children’s health, the report reflects a growing call for stronger action to improve diets and tackle health inequalities.
Nourhan Barakat, Nutrition Officer at Action on Salt and Sugar, who conducted the research quoted: "This data shows the food industry can reduce sugar – but too many are choosing not to. If we are to improve child health and reduce the prevalence of preventable diseases related to poor diets, stricter regulation should be introduced to put children’s wellbeing ahead of profit.”
Dr Kawther Hashem, Head of Research and Impact at Action on Sugar based at Queen Mary University of London quoted: “The support for change is strong and present, and the evidence for its need is overwhelming. Mandated efforts are the most effective way to make our foods healthier and the government needs to start prioritising better food and nutrition. The report shows change can be possible - it’s now just the question of when.”
Read the full report: Recipe for Change: Incentivising Reformulation 2025 [PDF 2,420KB]
