The biggest challenge in the Finnish diet that needs to be changed is the excessive intake of calories, salt and saturated fat. To support choices that promote customer wellbeing, K Group is reformulating the nutritional content of its private label products. Product development has focused on, among other things, cereal and grain products, ready meals, juices and processed meat products in the Pirkka, Pirkka Parhaat and K-Menu ranges.
“We are working with manufacturers to develop the properties of our private label products to make them healthier. So far, a total of over 17,000 kilograms of salt, over 32,000 kilograms of saturated fat and over 123,000 kilograms of sugar have been reduced in 93 Pirkka, Pirkka Parhaat and K-Menu products,” says Timo Jäske, Sustainability Director at Kesko’s grocery trade.
One of the reformulated products is Pirkka spinach soup, which is available in the frozen foods section. The reformulation of the nutritional content means that one packet of Pirkka spinach soup now contains 11.2 grams of sugar (previously 17.6 g), 8 grams of saturated fat (previously 11.6 g) and 2.08 grams of salt (previously 2.4 g).
Changing one characteristic, such as reducing the amount of sugar, can affect the product’s other characteristics, and the amount of other ingredients will also often change.
“However, one thing that is not compromised when reformulating the nutritional content of products – the products must still taste delicious,” Jäske continues.
K Group health and nutrition programme
The goal of the K Group’s health and nutrition programme, which was announced in January 2023, is to make food choices that promote wellbeing as easy as possible for the customer using three clear and measurable goals. In addition to reformulating the nutritional content of private label products, the goal is to add the Heart Symbol to at least 200 Pirkka and K-Menu products in connection with the renewal of their packaging. The Heart Symbol indicates that a product is a better option in terms of health in its product category. The third goal is that those people who buy most of their groceries from K-food stores will eat at least half a kilogram of vegetables a day by 2026.
K-food store customers can monitor how their own food purchases comply with the national nutrition recommendations in the K-Ruoka app’s K-Hyvinvointi section, which focuses on wellness.
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