Assessing the impact of voluntary food reformulation targets: Mid-point assessment of Australia's voluntary sodium and saturated fat reduction policy.

ABSTRACT:

Background/objectives

Most reformulation initiatives worldwide are implemented through voluntary measures. Despite the reliance on voluntary targets, there is limited evidence of their effectiveness. This study aimed to assess the impact of Australia's voluntary sodium and saturated fat reformulation policy halfway through its four-year implementation period.

Subjects/methods

The 2019 and 2022 FoodSwitch databases provided data on the nutritional composition of packaged foods sold by major Australian supermarket retailers. For the food categories targeted by the policy, we assessed changes between 2019 and 2022 in (i) the overall proportions of products that met the sodium and saturated fat targets and (ii) changes in the proportion of products meeting the targets across the

SUBMITTER: Coyle DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12537490 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature