The packaged food composition study was conducted in Estonia for the second time in 2022, with the first survey taking place in 2018. According to Janne Lauk, head of the nutrition department at the National Institute for Health Development (TAI), the primary goal of the study was to collect data on the levels of salt, sugar and saturated fats in foods. Additionally, the study gathered information from product labels on nutritional details, labeling schemes, portion sizes, packaging sizes, health claims and the use of sweeteners.

"Both the products available on the market and their composition have changed significantly, in both positive and negative directions. Some subcategories showed a reduction in sugar, salt or saturated fat content, while others saw increases. This confirms that there is room for food reformulation across all product categories," Lauk explained.

The study's findings indicate that it cannot be said that food sold in Estonia has generally become healthier. Although some positive changes were observed over the two-year period — such as a decrease in the sugar content of soft drinks and an increase in the protein content of meat products — researchers also noted negative trends. For example, the fat and saturated fat content increased in several food groups.

In the case of soft drinks, a clear reduction in sugar content was observed, but this was partially offset by an increased use of sweeteners. According to Tuuli Taimur, a senior specialist in the TAI's nutrition and physical activity department, this is problematic. "If we replace one unnecessary nutrient with another, it may seem like a step in the right direction, but it doesn't actually improve things much," she said. Additionally, many sugar substitutes are synthetic.

The nutritional composition of baked goods showed the least change between the two study years. However, the salt content in simple wheat flour-based bakery products increased.

In the comparison of meat products, several changes were observed. The most notable trend was an increase in protein content across categories such as cooked sausages, frankfurters, Vienna sausages, salami, smoked meats and offal products. At the same time, a significant increase in fat content was noted in some subcategories of meat products. Changes in salt content varied, with both increases and decreases observed across different products.

Among the products that were available in both study years, the sugar content rose in several subcategories, including meat snacks, cooked sausages, frankfurters and Vienna sausages.

Consumers get used to new flavors quickly

According to food researcher Rain Kuldjärv, both salt and sugar content can be significantly reduced without noticeably affecting the taste of food. He noted that food producers are actively working on such adjustments.

Kuldjärv provided an example, explaining that while regular lemonade contains 10 grams of sugar, flavored water contains only 3.5 grams, yet both still taste sweet. "What happens is that lemonade contains enough acid to balance the sweetness, but it ends up being cloyingly sweet. So, there is definitely room to reduce sugar content without compromising the overall taste," he said.

As a positive example, Kuldjärv highlighted Premia, which managed to reduce the sugar content in one of its ice creams by 40 percent, while still maintaining a pleasant taste. The main challenge, however, was in achieving the right texture. "It was difficult to achieve the same creamy texture with less sugar, but they did a pretty good job. So, it is certainly possible to reduce sugar," he explained.

The issue, Kuldjärv believes, lies more with consumer perception. "There is a sense that consumers fear that if a product contains 40 percent less sugar, it won't taste as good anymore," he said. At the same time, such claims tend to resonate more with health-conscious consumers, who are increasingly drawn to products with lower sugar content.

According to Kuldjärv, people's habits are a separate issue, influenced largely by human psychology. However, he believes that people can adapt to new tastes very quickly. The simplest example involves salt intake. "If you gradually reduce the amount of salt, a person's taste buds will adjust to the change in salt and sugar content fairly quickly. The same happens in reverse — if you eat very salty food, normal food will start to taste bland," he said.

Tuuli Taimur noted that it's not possible to make a blanket statement on whether domestically produced or imported goods are healthier.

Kuldjärv highlighted that excessive saltiness and sweetness are a two-fold problem. On the one hand, many companies are actively working on reducing the levels of salt and sugar in their products. However, he pointed out that this process cannot be too abrupt, as imported goods also compete in the market and consumers might start favoring those products instead. "It's a smaller segment of the population that actually pays attention to product details and ingredients. Since imported products influence consumption habits, reducing salt and sugar levels must be done gradually," he explained.

Kuldjärv believes that the primary responsibility lies with food producers, but he sees imported products as the biggest challenge. "There needs to be a comprehensive approach because Estonia is such a small country and our stores carry many imported products. If only Estonian producers made an effort, we would likely lose our competitive edge," he said. For this reason, he believes the European Union should establish a unified system.

"Food producers are doing a good job addressing these issues, but not all of them are ethical. Some producers are solely focused on profit, which creates a certain dissonance that the state must inevitably help resolve," Kuldjärv added.

According to Tuuli Taimur, the most important takeaway from the report is that consumers should take the time to examine product labels and compare the nutritional content of different items in stores.

For the study, researchers visited the largest stores of Estonia's seven major retail chains and photographed all sides of the packaging of products within the study's seven focus groups: breakfast cereals, soft drinks, meat products, baked goods, dairy products, plant-based alternatives to dairy and plant-based alternatives to meat.

In total, the National Institute for Health Development mapped out 6,000 products, of which 5,891 were included in the final analysis.

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