Polish retailer Biedronka has reduced approximately 28 tonnes of sugar, 21 tonnes of salt and over 39 tonnes of fat from own-brand food items in 2023.
The move is part of Biedronka's product reformulation initiative, which seeks to improve the composition of own-brand products so that they become optimal from the point of view of nutritional requirements, it noted.
Every year, the Jerónimo Martins subsidiary offers several products that have undergone reformulations to over five million customers.
Product Reformulation
Last year, retailer chain carried out fifteen reformulations across its own-brand offering, comprising seven in salt reduction, four in sugar reduction and two in fat reduction.
The company added that it raised the amount of fibre in two products.
Some products that have undergone reformulation last year include Madero mayonnaise for sugar, Nasz Smaki meat dumplings for salt, Vitanella chocolate and honey flakes for both salt and sugar, Top cheese and salted chips for fat, and in ready-made dishes, such as stroganoff with mushrooms, for salt.
Justyna Szymani, director of own-brand quality and control at Jerónimo Martins, said, "As a rule, we not only improve the composition and thus the quality of our products, but we also make sure not to change the taste and, above all, the safety of the products we offer.
"Too high consumption of ingredients such as sugar, salt and fat can lead to the development of many diseases. Therefore, it is important to improve the composition of products, but also to provide extensive education in the field of desirable, good eating habits."
Private-Label Products
Biedronka has been improving the composition and nutritional profile of its own-brand products since 2014.
The chain focuses on reformulating the ingredients as the consumption of these products could impact the health of consumers.
Between 2014 - 2023, this initiative helped eliminate over 5,448 tonnes of sugar, 318 tonnes of salt and 2,170 tonnes of fat from food items.
Additionally, in 2022-2023, the retail chain improvised its own-brand products by adding more than 70 tonnes of fibre.
Product reformulations are particularly important in the context of data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicates that, on average, 60% of adult Europeans suffer from overweight or obesity, the retailer noted.
In Poland, 58% of adults are overweight, and as many as 23% of the population struggle with obesity, which is also the main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
