Manufacturers are bracing themselves for new restrictions on the fat content of processed meat products, according to the new president of the British Meat Processors Association, the Tulip (UK) md Gerry Finley.
Finley expects the Food Standards Agency to set ever tougher targets, as it has with salt.
"The government will be asking us for an action plan for the reduction of saturated fat in processed products," said Finley. "The industry will be asked to give a commitment to what it is going to do."
He admitted that reducing the saturated fat in products such as pies and pasties would not be easy. "There is only so far you can go," he said. "But I'm sure the industry will play its part."
The fat content of raw pork has already been cut from around 30% to 4% by selective breeding, feed changes and modern butchery techniques, including further trimming or "seam" butchery. For beef and lamb, fat has been cut from 25% to 5% and 31% to 8% respectively. The focus is therefore likely to be on reducing the saturated fat content of added ingredients.