Reformulation pressure is turning UK food R&D teams from product developers into portfolio managers: they now need nutrition and regulatory specialists, sensory and ingredient experts, and people who can reformulate at scale against fixed policy deadlines. A new nutrient profiling model, an expanded soft drinks levy and planned healthy food sales reporting all land in the next few years. This article sets out the timeline, how R&D teams are changing and how to hire for a reformulation programme.
Why reformulation is back at the top of the R&D agenda
Voluntary reformulation has had mixed results. The government's final report on the sugar reduction programme, published in December 2022, found that sales-weighted average sugar in retailer and manufacturer branded products fell by 3.5% between 2015 and 2020, against an ambition of 20%. Some categories moved much further: breakfast cereals fell by 14.9% and yogurts and fromage frais by 13.5%. Drinks covered by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, where a tax rather than a target applied, cut average sugar by 46% over the same period.
The lesson policymakers drew is that firm rules move recipes faster than voluntary targets. The current wave of policy reflects that, and it has a direct effect on R&D workload and hiring.
The policy timeline food R&D teams are working to
| Policy | Date | What it means for R&D |
|---|---|---|
| HFSS location restrictions (England) | In force since 1 October 2022 | Products that score as HFSS lose prime store locations, so passing the nutrient profiling model has commercial value |
| HFSS volume price promotion restrictions (England, businesses with 50+ employees) | In force from 1 October 2025 | Multi-buy promotions on HFSS products in 13 categories are restricted, adding to the case for reformulation |
| Less healthy food advertising restrictions (UK-wide) | In force from 5 January 2026 | Identifiable less healthy products cannot be advertised on TV or on-demand between 5.30am and 9pm, or in paid online media at any time |
| Consultation on applying the 2018 nutrient profiling model | Published March 2026, closes 17 June 2026 | Proposes a stricter model, with free sugars capped at 5% of energy and a suggested 12-month transition; more products could become less healthy |
| Healthy food sales reporting and targets | Consultation expected in 2026, no start date yet | Large food businesses would report the healthiness of sales; large grocers would face targets |
| Soft Drinks Industry Levy changes | From January 2028 | Threshold falls from 5g to 4.5g of sugar per 100ml, and milk-based and milk-alternative drinks come into scope |
The nutrient profiling model change matters most. Lewis Silkin's review of the March 2026 consultation notes that stricter saturated fat and energy scoring would bring more savoury snacks into scope, and that some desserts, yogurts, breakfast cereals and cereal bars higher in free sugars could also be caught. Products reformulated to pass the 2004/05 model may need reworking. The government has also said it intends to repeal the volume price and location restrictions once mandatory healthy food sales reporting is in place, so the commercial pressure shifts from individual products to the healthiness of whole portfolios.
How food R&D teams are changing
Reformulation used to be a project bolted onto new product development. It is becoming a standing programme with its own governance. We see three shifts in how teams are organised.
- Portfolio-wide nutrition tracking: teams now score every SKU against current and proposed nutrient profiling models, so they can prioritise which recipes to change first.
- Earlier regulatory input: nutrition and regulatory specialists sit in R&D from the brief stage, rather than reviewing labels at the end.
- Closer links with the factory: reformulated recipes often behave differently on the line, so R&D works more closely with process engineering and quality to protect yield and shelf life.
- Greater use of ingredient partners: sweetener, fibre and fat-replacement systems usually come from suppliers, so R&D needs people who can run joint development with them.
- More sensory testing: consumer acceptance decides whether a reformulation sticks, so sensory capability is moving in-house at more businesses.
Which skills are food R&D teams hiring for?
The demand is less for generalist product developers and more for people with depth in specific areas. The roles we see most often in reformulation briefs are nutrition and regulatory specialists who understand the nutrient profiling model and labelling law, food scientists with sugar, salt and fat reduction experience, sensory scientists, and development technologists who can scale a recipe from pilot plant to full production. Packaging also comes into it: smaller portions and new formats are a legitimate route to better nutrition per serving, so packaging technologists are increasingly part of reformulation teams.
Experience transfers across categories better than many hiring managers assume. A technologist who has reduced sugar in yogurt understands sweetness, texture and fermentation in ways that apply to desserts or drinks. Our article on GLP-1 and food innovation shows a similar shift in the US, where protein and fibre expertise is in demand.
Where reformulation hiring goes wrong
- Hiring too late: if the new nutrient profiling model applies with a short transition, recruiting after the decision leaves little time to reformulate and test.
- Hiring for titles, not problems: "senior technologist" can mean anything; specify the nutrients, categories and processes the person must handle.
- Ignoring the factory: a recipe that works in the development kitchen but fails on the line costs more than it saves.
- Under-resourcing regulatory work: one regulatory specialist covering a whole portfolio becomes a bottleneck quickly.
- Overlooking cost: reformulation often raises ingredient costs, so candidates who can manage cost targets are worth more.
How to hire for a reformulation programme
Plan hiring around the policy timeline:
- Score your portfolio. Model each SKU against the 2004/05 and proposed 2018 nutrient profiling models and the levy thresholds that apply.
- Prioritise by commercial exposure. Rank products by sales, promotional dependence and advertising plans to see where reformulation matters most.
- Map capability gaps. Compare the work with your team's skills in nutrition, regulation, ingredient technology, sensory and scale-up.
- Decide permanent or interim. Use permanent hires for ongoing capability and interim or contract specialists for peaks such as a model change.
- Brief by problem. Describe the nutrients, categories, processes and deadlines in the role brief, so candidates can show relevant experience.
- Test with a real case. Ask candidates how they would reduce sugar or salt in one of your products, and what could go wrong in the factory.
- Start early. Specialist nutrition and regulatory people are in demand across the industry, so hire ahead of deadlines, not after them.
Career paths in reformulation often start in NPD. Our guide to the NPD technologist career path explains how development technologists progress, and our NPD and innovation recruitment team works closely with R&D hiring managers.
Questions about reformulation and FMCG R&D recruitment
Reformulation means changing an existing product's recipe to improve its nutritional profile, usually by reducing sugar, salt, saturated fat or calories. The aim is to keep taste, texture, shelf life and cost close to the original so shoppers keep buying it.
It is the 2018 version of the model used to decide which foods count as less healthy for advertising and promotion rules. In March 2026 the government consulted on applying it in place of the 2004/05 model; the consultation closes on 17 June 2026 and proposes a 12-month transition.
The changes announced in November 2025 apply from January 2028. The sugar threshold falls from 5g to 4.5g per 100ml, and milk-based and milk-alternative drinks are brought into scope.
Nutrition and regulatory knowledge, sugar, salt and fat reduction experience, sensory science and the ability to scale recipes into production. Working well with ingredient suppliers and process engineers matters too.
Interim nutrition, regulatory or technical specialists can cover peaks, such as preparing for a model change, while permanent hires build long-term capability. Many businesses use both.
TRG FMCG recruits R&D, product development and technical teams for food and drink businesses across the UK. See how our FMCG R&D recruitment works.