UPF, Nutri Score, EC elections, regulations and other issues affecting the European snack sector

“One of the key issues for us – and I think for many other industries in the food sector – is ultra-processed food, which is a term that is not scientifically correct. It has no definition and it is popping up left and right: consumers are confused. It is used in a quite inflationary way; yet nobody (has taken steps to limit it) with cornerstones that say, ‘this is it or it is not,'” Emig told Bakery&Snacks in a biannual exhibition that this year took place in Stockholm, Sweden.​

“We’d like to discuss this. Food has been processed for thousands of years to enhance its benefits, ensure food safety and provide people with access to products with a long shelf life.”

ESA is currently working with FoodDrinkEurope to develop a definition that will make it clear to consumers that, for example, “when you reach for a yoghurt, you are dealing with a fermented milk, which is also processed”.

But Emig believes the debate has peaked and “will die down in the next few years. It’s not as ‘in’ as it was in the last two years.”

UPFs are still very much on the ESA radar, as are processed contaminants like acrylamide and glycoalkaloids, the Nutri Score and the implementation of new regulations that come into effect with the Green Deal to “create guidelines not only for our members but also as a free resource for non-members so that the whole snack sector can thrive. We are very keen to represent the sector in a very understandable and responsible way,” Emig said.