Member Matters
Sugar reformulation: What the Healthy Food Partnership Means for Industry
26 March 2026
A recent paper (1) published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides an interim assessment of Australia’s Healthy Food Partnership (HFP) reformulation initiative across the packaged food sector. The study evaluates changes in sugar content between 2021 and 2023 across eight categories with sugar reformulation targets.
From an industry perspective, the findings highlight both the progress already achieved prior to the program and the practical realities of delivering further reformulation in a complex and highly competitive food environment.
Notably, the study found that a significant proportion of products—around three-quarters—were already meeting the defined sugar targets at the start of the program. This reflects the substantial reformulation efforts undertaken by many manufacturers over recent years, often in response to evolving consumer preferences, public health priorities, and existing initiatives such as the Health Star Rating system. It also underscores that, for many categories, reductions in sugar have already been a focus area well before formal targets were introduced.
Over the two-year assessment period, the study reports limited overall change in sugar levels across most categories, with modest reductions observed in carbonated soft drinks and energy drinks.
In 2023, 73% of products met reformulation targets, slightly decreasing from 74% in 2021, while mean total sugars content similarly decreased slightly from 12.0 g/100 g to 11.9g/ 100g. Neither change was statistically significant (both p > 0.05).
These results are consistent with the technical and functional challenges associated with sugar reformulation in certain products, where sugar plays multiple roles beyond sweetness, including texture, preservation, and product stability.
From a policy and implementation perspective, the findings highlight several important considerations for future reformulation efforts.
First, the setting of targets is critical to ensuring they are both evidence-based and practically achievable. Where a large proportion of the market is already compliant, this may indicate that targets are appropriately recognising existing progress, but it also raises questions about how future iterations can continue to drive meaningful change while remaining technically feasible and acceptable to consumers.
Second, the voluntary framework of the HFP continues to provide flexibility for industry participants to innovate and respond to targets in ways that align with product portfolios and consumer demand. Many companies have embedded reformulation into broader innovation pipelines, balancing nutritional improvements with taste, cost, and accessibility considerations. However, the study also highlights the importance of ongoing engagement between government and industry to ensure that targets remain relevant, ambitious, and informed by real-world constraints.
Third, the results reinforce the need for a holistic approach to improving dietary outcomes. Reformulation is one important lever, but it operates alongside consumer education, portion guidance, labelling initiatives, and broader dietary patterns. Industry continues to play a key role across all of these areas, including providing clear, science-based information to support informed consumer choice.
Importantly, the study contributes to a growing evidence base that can support iterative improvements to the HFP framework. Continued monitoring and transparent reporting will be essential to track progress, identify where further gains can be made, and ensure that reformulation strategies are delivering measurable public health benefits.
While the authors of the paper take a pessimistic view of effectiveness of voluntary reformulation, the paper highlights that the success of these initiatives is dependent upon ongoing collaboration, realistic target setting, and recognition of the technical and commercial complexities inherent in food production.
Reference
Keaney M, Jones A, Barrett EM, Coyle DH & Maganja D. (2026). Voluntary reformulation targets lead to minimal change in sugar content: Interim assessment of Australia’s Healthy Food Partnership. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 80(2), 228-231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-025-01682-2
