Food Standards Scotland report finds a slight decline in excessive calories from cakes, but more action is needed.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has published a new report on the calorie content of sweet discretionary products sold in cafes, coffee shops and bakeries in 2023, showing a small reduction in calories compared to the previous analysis.  

The research explored the calorie content of products such as cakes, sweet pastries, and biscuits from out of home businesses in Scotland, finding that the average calorie content decreased from 465 to 449 calories per portion, between 2022 and 2023. 

Although the report revealed a greater proportion of products contained less than 325 calories per portion (the maximum the UK Government recommends for these products) compared to 2022, the majority of products were found to exceed this amount. 

While these findings indicate an encouraging trend, the results continue to be a concern to public health as these products are one of the top 10 most frequently purchased food and drinks when people eat out. They are also typically consumed out with mealtimes, and are high in calories, saturated fat, and sugar while offering few beneficial nutrients. 

A new category of milkshakes, frappes, and ice cream floats were included in the report for the first time and were found to contain an average of 451 calories per portion. 86% were over the UK Government target of no more than 300 calories for milk based drinks. When compared to the average calorie requirement for a female, just one of these drinks would make up nearly a quarter of a full day’s calories.  

Laura Wilson, Head of Public Health Nutrition said: “Our findings demonstrate that improvements are slowly being made to reduce extremely high calories within the sweet products we consume so frequently when eating out. However, there is still much more that needs to happen to see far more products meet the UK Government target of 325 calories.  

“There is a great opportunity for businesses to reduce the calorie content of these products. This could be achieved through simple measures such as reducing portion size to provide consumers with the same taste they enjoy but with less calories.” 

FSS supports the Reformulation for Health Programme which is funded by Scottish Government and managed by Food and Drink Federation Scotland. It supports SMEs to undertaken reformulation of commonly consumed products, with a focus on reducing portion size, calories, fat, sugar, and/or salt. 

One example of recent success is Three Sisters Bake. The Glasgow based bakery used the FSS and FDF Scotland Healthier Bakery Fund to invest in new equipment that rolls out dough to ensure more consistent bakes. This change means they can better control portion size and, as a result their empire biscuits have reduced in diameter by 25%. This demonstrates that reformulation isn’t just about creating a new recipe. One change within the baking process can make a big difference which can benefit both businesses and consumers.  

Laura continued: “The success of companies like Three Sisters Bakes shows that change is possible, and we encourage more businesses to follow suit to create a healthier food environment which will benefit everyone living in Scotland.” 

Joanne Burns, Reformulation for Health Manager, Food and Drink Federation Scotland, said: “The report from FSS highlights the positive progress that is being made by bakery manufacturers to improve the health of their products.   

 Sweet bakery products have a great potential to reformulate, from reducing sugar, fat, salt, and portion size to enriching products with increased fibre, fruit and vegetable content. Sweet baked products have the added benefit of being able to reformulate individual components of a product, such as toppings, fillings or additions which can positively impact multiple products, highlighting that small changes can make a big difference. 

The Reformulation for Health programme is equipped to support Scottish SME food and drink manufacturers, across all sectors, who wish to improve the nutritional profile of their products, offering free access to industry support, and funding opportunities to help with the associated costs of reformulation such as the highly successful Healthier Bakery Fund which supported 13 Scottish bakers, delivered with funding and support from FSS. 

With the correct funding and support for industry I hope to see future improvements in the calorie content and nutritional profile of sweet baked products provided in communities across Scotland.”