Frozen food distributor Central Foods has introduced HFSS ratings for its entire range.
The move will provide wholesalers with extra information to help them, and their customers, make informed choices and is part of the company’s Making Your Life Easier pledge.
HFSS – High in Fat, Salt and Sugar – legislation has recently been introduced for the retail industry, leading to new rules on the advertising and selling of certain products with high HFSS levels.
To get ahead of the curve and in anticipation that legislation may subsequently be brought in for the food service sector, Central Foods has invested in software that can work out the HFSS rating of a product at the press of a button.
The company, which is one of the UK’s largest frozen food distributors to the food service sector, has now created HFSS ratings for its complete range to help customers make conscious choices in full knowledge of the facts.
Gordon Lauder, MD of Central Foods, said: “We are committed to going the extra mile to help our customers and have invested in new software which can calculate the HFSS level of any product in our range on request.
“The nutritional and calorie content of food has become a key issue in recent years and this new service will support our wholesale customers to in turn help their own customers working in the food service sector.”
The new software considers the proportions and amounts of different ingredients in a product and is able to calculate the HFSS level in seconds. If a product has an HFSS level of four or more, it is considered ‘less healthy’.
Over 48% of the Central Foods’ range scores three or below, with 100% of its bread range in that category. 83% of the vegan products offered by Central Foods comes in with a score of three or lower.
Central Foods is one of the UK’s leading frozen food distributors, supplying a range of products to the food service sector. The company was founded more than 25 years ago and is proud to be a catering partner across the whole food service sector, supplying to hotels, restaurants, bars, universities, schools, pubs, care homes, garden centres, leisure outlets and more.
Northamptonshire-based Central Foods currently sells to over 180 independent wholesalers, as well as larger national and regional wholesalers.
