FOOD PRODUCTION:Dolmio and Uncle Ben's firm Mars advises limit on products

The company behind Dolmio and Uncle Ben's sauces says some products should only be consumed once a week due to high salt, sugar or fat content.

Mars Food said it would distinguish between "everyday" and "occasional" items on packs and website.

The company said some foods were higher in salt, sugar or fat to maintain the "authentic" taste of products.

The National Obesity Forum described the move as "hugely unusual" but "very imaginative".

The advice is part of Mars's Health and Wellbeing Ambition to "create and promote healthier food choices".

Mars told the BBC that just 5% of its products would be labelled "occasional".

These include Dolmio lasagne sauces, pesto, and carbonara and macaroni oven kits, and Uncle Ben's oriental sauces. 

 

Mars said its website would be updated over the next few months with the list of products to be eaten not more than once a week, and "everyday" ones.

Adults are recommended to have 70g fat a day, 20g saturated fat, 90g sugar and 6g salt.

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, a charity that raises awareness about the condition, said: "Mars signposted their direction of travel towards healthier products several years ago and are now putting their money where their mouth is."

Mars said the products the advice applies to are to be reformulated over the next five years to cut salt, sugar or fat.

Nutritionist Laura De La Harpe told BBC Radio 5 live it should not be difficult to reduce the sugar content.

"What would concern me would be if they start adding sweeteners, artificial sweeteners to replace the sugar," she said.

Mars said its "nutrition criteria" has been developed based on recommendations from leading public health authorities such as the World Health Organization.

Fiona Dawson, a global president of Mars, said: "Our nutrition criteria sets a very high standard for our products, and we also want to help our consumers understand the difference between 'everyday' and 'occasional' products within a balanced diet.

 

"The food industry has already made great strides in reducing sodium, but we have more work to do to help consumers reduce sodium intake.

"We support release of the US FDA's draft sodium reduction guidance, because we believe it's important to begin a stakeholder dialogue about the role industry can play in this critical part of consumers' diets."

The move comes after Chancellor George Osborne announced a sugar tax, with the aim of tackling childhood obesity, in his recent Budget.