Food and drink manufacturers in the UK are pushing to develop healthier products, according to a new report from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Data revealed that a third (31%) of food and drink manufacturers in the UK are using less salt, while 30% are cutting down on sugar and 24% are scaling back on calories, compared to ten years ago.

Last year, UK brands invested around £180 million in creating healthier products.

Food manufacturers are making changes to their products aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles. For example, Bird’s Eye’s new ‘Steamfresh’ range added 3.5 million portions of vegetables since last year.

Additionally, PepsiCo modified its Doritos products to slash the amount of salt and fat by 18% and 14% respectively, after investing £13 million in R&D and new machinery.

Meanwhile, over 50% of Ben’s Original and Dolmio’s ready-to-eat meals offer at least one serving of vegetables.

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However, food and drink brands are facing challenges to further investments due to the mounting pressure of rising production costs and government regulatory pressures.

Over one third (41%) of UK-based food brands have been driven to reduce investment because of increasing financial pressures, found the FDF.

Moving forward, the FDF is calling on the government to increase its support and funding for R&D to assist businesses in transforming operations to produce healthier goods while dealing with costs.

Additionally, the group is urging the UK government to push for mandatory health reports and transparency within the food supply chain.

FDF chief executive Karen Betts said: “Food and drink manufacturers are playing a quiet but vital role in helping people achieve balanced diets amid the pressures of busy lives. Companies have made major progress in slashing the calories, salt and sugar in everyday food and drink – making the food people love better for them, alongside hugely expanding the range of healthy options.

“But tackling poor diets and lifestyles is a complex issue and needs a more joined-up approach. We’re calling on the government today to work in a more structured partnership with the entire food industry to deliver change. It has a clear opportunity to do this in its upcoming Food Strategy, where we hope to see health policies that support the industry to go further and are consistent across existing regulation and across all parts of the sector.”