To date it has been used by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to inform discussions with industry and other bodies aimed at encouraging a reduction in the levels of salt in processed foods and as a reference tool to inform areas of related work in nutrition, such as the development of front of pack nutrition signpost labelling. However, the FSA's Strategic Plan to 2010 covers wider areas of nutrition so the databank also includes declared levels of fat, fatty acids, sugar, fibre and energy in processed foods.

The Agency has just completed its second sampling survey to extend the information on the levels of nutrients in processed foods. The project aimed to collect a sample of processed foods and beverages available to the UK public, focussing on top selling brands and the types of foods that, according to dietary surveys, are the main contributors to salt, saturated fat and sugar intakes in the diet.

The Agency collected information from the labels of 1,094 processed foods for inclusion in the second round of the databank. Most foods are new to the databank, whilst a range of products are included for the second time. The products from 29 processed food categories were purchased from high street food outlets between February and September 2007.

It is important to note that the information presented within the databank relates specifically to product labels at the time the product was purchased and therefore does not reflect any changes that may have been made to product composition or labelling after the sample purchase date. Readers are advised to contact the appropriate brand owners for the most up-to-date information on the nutrient composition and availability of products.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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