Large nutritional and environmental improvements can be achieved across the product portfolios of major UK food and beverage manufacturers
Open Access
- 16 September 2026
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature Food
- Vol. 7 (9) , 857-868
Abstract
Food and beverage (F&B) manufacturers can support or hinder the transition towards a more sustainable food system. Yet, there is limited evidence about their potential to improve the nutritiousness and reduce the environmental impact of the F&B sector. Here we develop an approach to estimate the nutritional quality and environmental impact of the product lines of 44 major F&B manufacturers in the UK. We find considerable variation in terms of nutritional quality and environmental impacts across manufacturers operating within the same food retail category and within existing F&B product portfolios. We identify how changing the types of product sold by these manufacturers offers potential for nutritional and environmental benefits. For some of the F&B manufacturers assessed, changes to 10% or less of their product line could deliver more than half of the potential gains in nutritional quality or sustainability.Keywords
Funding Information
- Wellcome (227140/Z/23/Z)
- Wellcome (227132/Z/23/Z)
- Wellcome (227132/Z/23/Z)
- Wellcome (227132/Z/23/Z)
- Oxford University Press (0012756)
- Oxford University Press (0012756)
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