We’ve taken further steps on our health journey to reduce salt with the success of Walkers 45% Less Salt* which was our first potato crisp to not be classified as high in fat, salt or sugar when it launched last year.
Walkers 45% Less Salt has already become a hit with UK consumers and despite only launching last year, the new range has become a £30 million brand and estimated to be in over 16% of UK households[1].
As its name suggests, Walkers 45% Less Salt contains nearly half the salt compared to regular potato crisps*. This is made possible by using new flavour technology to replace the sodium and rebalance the taste, ensuring the great flavour and quality consumers expect from Walkers.
Walkers 45% Less Salt was one of several product innovations last year on the back of setting our new health ambition that half our sales would come from snacks that do not classify as high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) or from portions of 100 calories or less, by 2025[2].
A year on, we’ve already made huge strides in turning our ambition into a reality, as 30%[3] of our sales are already from healthier alternatives and two-thirds of all new products launched in 2022 were not classified as high in fat, salt or sugar.
The popularity of Walkers 45% Less Salt suggests growing consumer demand for lower-salt snacks as 79% of people surveyed for Walkers said that eating less salt is important to their health[4].
Despite the range containing nearly half the salt, the range has performed strongly in consumer taste testing with 8 out of 10 consumers stating that it exceeded expectations and there was no perceived taste compromise with less salt.
Made with 100% British potatoes, the range launched with three classic flavours: Mild Cheese & Onion, Lightly Salted, and A Dash of Salt & Vinegar, and has recently expanded with the addition of Delicate Prawn Cocktail.
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[1] Based on NielsenIQ RMS data for Total Savoury Snacks (client-defined) for the 52 w/e 25.03.23 for Great Britain Total Coverage retail market (Copyright © 2023, NielsenIQ)
[2] as defined by the 2004/2005 Nutrient Profiling Model
[3] This includes a small percentage of snacks that are exempt from the HFSS product placement restrictions that came in to force in October 2022 even though they may not meet the definition under the 2004/2005 Nutrition Profile Model.
[4] Walkers Simply Mild Cheese & Onion PCI 2119408 – SCPI Consumer Report – Product Decision Test, June 2021 (n=200). Consumer testing SCI consumer report with 200 consumers.