Government initiative to reduce fat content of nation’s diet

The government has announced the launch of a new scheme to cut the amount of saturated fat in food consumed in the UK, supported by almost half of the food manufacturing and retail industry.

Companies such as Nestle, Tesco, Morrisons, Subway, Aldi, Sainsbury's, Unilever and Mondelez have all signed up to the Responsibility Deal Saturated Fat Reduction Pledge, agreeing to reduce the amount of saturated fat in their products to make them healthier.

This will be accomplished by reformulating recipes to include less fat and introducing new products with lower fat levels, thereby cutting more than one-and-a-half Olympic size swimming pools' worth of saturated fat from the nation's diet.

It is estimated that reducing the amount of saturated fat the UK consumes by just 15 per cent could prevent around 2,600 premature deaths every year.

Public health minister Jane Ellison said: "One in six male deaths and one in nine female deaths are from coronary heart disease – this is why it's critical that we challenge the way we eat."

This comes as part of wider government efforts to encourage Britons to lead healthier lives, a goal it is seeking to accomplish through campaigns such as Change4Life.