Walkers crisps says almost a third of its sales now come from healthy options.
The crisps giant, which has its main operations in Leicester, said 15 per cent of its sales now come from non-HFSS – high in fat, salt and sugar – snacks, while another 15 per cent are in portions of 100 calories or less.
Last year Walkers set a target of making half of all sales come from healthier snacks by 2025, with an initial investment of £35 million to drive product innovation and changes. The aim is for 30 per cent of sales to come from products that do not classify as HFSS and 20 per cent from snacks sold in 100 calories or less portions.
It said it was now more than halfway to reaching that target, thanks in part to new products such as Walkers 45% Less Salt – which now has annual sales of £30 million – and Walkers Baked, which has sales above £70 million. A new 45% Less Salt Delicate Prawn Cocktail snack has also just come on the market.
Jason Richards, general manager of parent company PepsiCo UK & Ireland, said: “Walkers has long been a leader in the development of healthier snacks, and last year we stepped up our efforts, setting our boldest ambition yet. I’m immensely proud of how far we’ve come in a year by reshaping our portfolio.
“We’ve done this through a combination of innovation with new products such as Walkers’ 45% Less Salt and Popworks, reformulation of established family favourites Walkers Baked and Doritos Dippers, and offering a broader range of our most loved brands in portions of under 100 calories or less.
“This shows there’s an increasing appetite for healthier choices in the UK. Our R&D team in Leicester has met this demand for healthier choices without compromising on our trademark taste and quality.
“We know there’s more work to do, and we remain confident that we can reach our ambition, dramatically shifting our snacks portfolio towards healthier alternatives.”
Since 2005, Walkers said it had cut saturated fat in its products by 70 per cent and reduced salt by between 25 per cent and 50 per cent across its ranges.
Other non-HFSS product launches in the last year include Doritos Dippers, Doritos Pizza, Max Strong, Popworks and Snack a Jacks.
A spokeswoman said: “Further innovation is planned in the next two years, backed by advertising and marketing to encourage consumers towards healthier choices.
“Experts based in Walkers’ R&D centre in Leicester have been at the forefront of all the snacks portfolio innovation and transformation, developing techniques and processes to reduce saturated fat and salt content without impacting the taste consumers love.”
