Healthier pancakes as new recipe trims sugar, salt and calories

Bakeries here are studying recipes for healthier pancakes, among the most popular breakfast foods, produced by researchers at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) in Cookstown and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Belfast.

The healthier pancakes follow similar work by CAFRE and FSA to improve the nutritional value of ice cream as part of the novel Making Food Better programme, the aim of which is a healthier food environment. Other healthier options have been developed for scones and desserts including cheesecake.

Daniel Sproule, FSA’s Senior Nutrition Policy Advisor, explains: “Through our Making Food Better Programme we have been working with the food industry to create healthier options, supporting businesses to reduce calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt in the food they produce, sell or serve.

“We know that reformulation in this category has the potential to reduce the intake of calories, sugar and salt in the diet of consumers here, ” he adds. The research included assessing the sugar, salt and fat in the most popular sizes of pancakes. It also looked at the ingredients such as flour, raising agents, buttermilk, fats and egg.

Changes were made and ingredients substituted to mimic the functionality of the originals. A new recipe was created with reduced sugar and salt content and then taste tested with consumers to make sure it met taste expectations. It proved to be a winner with consumers.

Mark Douglas of Dromore, Co Down, Northern Ireland’s award-winning Krazibaker, is looking forward to seeing the recipe. “Freshly baked pancakes are an important part of my business at the markets I attend. I know that shoppers are increasingly concerned about sugar and salt content. I’ll be keen to try out the new recipe just as soon as I can. It’s vitally important, of course, that the new recipe is tasty for people here,” he says.