The processed foods market is currently facing a series of challenges on the back of intense criticism from relevant health/government organisations in relation to the obesity issue, food scares such as those regarding Sudan 1 and Para Red, the debate over British school dinners, influenced by Jamie Oliver and bringing the issue of processed foods into the media spotlight, and scientific evidence reported by the press on links between trans fats consumption and abnormal brain function.

The processed foods market is currently facing a series of challenges on the back of intense criticism from relevant health/government organisations in relation to the obesity issue, food scares such as those regarding Sudan 1 and Para Red, the debate over British school dinners, influenced by Jamie Oliver and bringing the issue of processed foods into the media spotlight, and scientific evidence reported by the press on links between trans fats consumption and abnormal brain function.

These debates, and others, mean that the processed foods industry is at a critical stage in which manufacturers are making a concerted effort to cut back on the levels of salt, sugar and fat contained in food, following government pressure, and attempting to reposition their brands in order to better reflect changing attitudes towards food and nutrition in general.

That said, there are many signs that these changing attitudes are, at best, superficial, with sales of ready meals soaring, and few signs of a reduction in consumers’ consumption of junk food. Accordingly, Mintel’s hypothesis for this report is: “Are consumers really concerned with what goes into their food?”