27th May 2008 - 00:00
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Abstract
Barbara Gallani, manager of the Food and Drink Federation's (FDF) Biscuit, Chocolate and Confectionary (BCCC) Sector, will be speaking about the industry's salt reduction strategy at today's CAOBISCO conference in Brussels.
Barbara's speech will cover the context of salt reduction in the UK and the reasons behind why salt is used in food – focusing on influencing the flavour, acting as a preservative, improving the texture, and controlling the fermentation of yeast.
The manager will also outline the technical issues, strategies and achievements relating to the reformulation of products across the sector to reduce salt content.
Barbara explained: "UK manufacturers have reduced salt in each product category, with overall reductions of between 16 and 50% since February 2006 in some of the most popular brands of cakes and biscuits. This is an addition to the 20-40% reductions that have had previously been achieved."
"The ability to reformulate and reduce salt content varies from product to product. Many UK biscuits and cakes are now at their limit regarding salt reduction, both technically in terms of taste and texture."
The conference is titled CAOBISCO – Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionary products in a 21st Century balanced diet.