Nestle has drastically cut salt, fat and sugar in its popular muesli bars, in a sign the health-star rating scheme is achieving the desired effect of pushing companies into making more nutritious food.
The food giant announced it had spent $7 million to reformulate its Uncle Tobys “chewy” and “yoghurt topp” ranges and double the average health-star rating to four.
Muesli bar taste test
The school kids of Fairfax Media staff give their verdict on the new reformulated Uncle Tobys lunchbox muesli bars which now have less fat, sugar and salt.
On average across the 10 bars, salt content has dropped by 63 per cent, sugar by 32 per cent, and fat by 16 per cent. In the process, it also doubled the fibre content in its yoghurt range.
“The biggest change is in the yoghurt range which has transformed from a flood of yoghurt covering the bar, to a drizzle. So previously there were 2.5 teaspoons of sugar per yoghurt bar. Now they have 1.5 teaspoons,” said Nestle Group nutritionist, Susan Kevork.
She was confident the loyal buyers of Australia’s highest-selling muesli bar would be pleased with the new recipe. It sells 18 million bars a year and enjoys a 26 per cent market share.
“When you bite into the new bars, you’ll find the bite is softer but the mouth-feel has more of a grain-feel, because it’s less compact now,” she said.
She said the health-star rating algorithm, which had been criticised for spurting unfair results, was cleared of glitches and “certainly worked” for them and for consumers.
About 1500 products manufactured by 54 companies now display health stars, which was launched last year in a hailstorm of controversy when then Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash pulled the website down.
Food companies are cutting sugar, salt and fat as consumers take more notice of health-star ratings.
Veteran nutritionist Rosemary Stanton welcomed the news of Uncle Tobys’ reformulation, but said muesli bars were essentially “confectionery”.
“They are still very high in kilojoules. Still a dental hazard if consumed at a time when no toothbrush is available, for example, when they’re in a lunchbox. Still a very poor choice compared with fresh fruit,” she said.
“Sodium reduction is easy – just skip added salt and choose additives carefully.”
Half the average Uncle Tobys muesli bar now consists of wholegrains. The amount of kilojoules has dropped by an average of 6 per cent.
Kellogg has also announced its reformulated its Nutri-grain cereal, boosting its health star rating from two to four health stars.
“Made with a combination of Aussie-grown corn, oats and wheat, Nutri-Grain Original is now a source of fibre, and has less sodium and sugar than before,” it said.
“[We’ve] ensured it still has the same malt taste and great crunch that people have come to know and love at breakfast.”
Fiona Nash, now Minister for Rural Health, congratulated Kellogg and Uncle Tobys on overhauling recipes for key products to be healthier.
“While government can’t force people to eat healthy or exercise, but we can help by giving them the tools to eat healthier. The Health Star Rating system allows time-poor parents to determine the health rating of a product within a category at a glance,” she said.
An unreleased, government-commissioned survey on the impact of the new front-of-pack labelling on consumers showed 47 per cent were highly likely to use the rating on a regular basis, up from 40 per cent in April.
Of those who have seen any health star advertising, 37 per cent said they had used the ratings in store, and 30 per cent had tried to eat healthier.