PepsiCo Australia brand, Smith’s, has achieved a 3.5 Health Star Rating (HSR) across the entire Thinly Cut and Baked potato chip ranges, with reduced sodium content being the key factor. The Thinly Cut range previously had a HSR of 3, and the Baked range scored a 2.5.
The HSR has been a topic of debate recently, with Australian food ministers making the decision to prepare the industry to make them a mandatory label on all products. Voluntary uptake has been mostly ineffective, with a strong pull in products that score highly on the rating system.
PepsiCo has been a long-term supporter of the Health Star Rating initiative, with 100 per cent of the company’s food and beverage products now displaying the HSR on pack. As one of the largest snack food manufacturers in Australia, PepsiCo states that it is “committed to playing a responsible role in the health and wellness of consumers”, and therefore places high importance on informing consumers on the nutritional value of the foods and beverages they are choosing to purchase and consume.
PepsiCo general manager of Australia Foods, Alexia Horley, said that the company has been working towards this point for over 15 years, transforming the snack portfolio to provide more choice for consumers.
“Reducing sodium, without compromising on taste and flavour, is a key priority for the business,” said Horley.
“We are delighted to have achieved a 3.5 HSR across the entire Smith’s Thinly Cut and Baked ranges and offer consumers more positive choices whilst delivering great taste.
“The Health Star Rating initiative provides great motivation for businesses to communicate their positive changes and new innovations to consumers, as Australians become more conscious about their food and beverages choices,” she said.
Prior to this recipe change for the Thinly Cut and Baked lines, PepsiCo launched its Simply range in 2022, which was the first potato chip on Australian supermarket shelves to have a HSR of 4.
More than a year in the making, the Simply range was developed by the implementation of a host of technical advancements and out of the box thinking, to add nutrition and flavour to the range.
PepsiCo also declared its healthy snack ambition in 2022, which aims to see 30 per cent of its snack range achieve a Health Star Rating of 3.5 or above by 2030.
