Improved ready meal for cardiovascular health

Ready–meal reformulation for improved cardiovascular health (RD416)

Recent research as part of our nutrition and health strategic programme assessed a computational reformulation strategy for manufactured composite food products such as ready–meals to improve the cardiovascular health of regular consumers of these products.

The strategy was based on nutrient targets, in this case defined by the DASH–sodium and OmniHeart studies. Following the reformulation of a benchmark product typical of a composite ready–meal, the reformulated product was assessed alongside the benchmark precursor in terms of both nutritional composition and consumer hedonic preference.

Results showed that the nutrient profile of the reformulated product was improved significantly over that of the benchmark product in all cases. Furthermore, with the exception of saturated fat and cholesterol, all nutrients either met or exceeded the targets.