Nutrition at Bidfood

Bidfood is committed to supporting customers through the nutrition landscape. Our team of Registered Nutritionists pride themselves on an evidence-based approach, meaning you can feel confident in the guidance that they provide.

  • Trusted expertise

    Our nutrition team is comprised of two Association for Nutrition (AfN) Registered Nutritionists (RNutr), with over 13 years’ experience between them.

  • Championing healthier choices

    Our nutrition team strive to improve our own-brand product range through policies and projects such as salt and sugar reduction. Our range of Advice Centre reports also support customers in making informed choices.

  • Making your life easier

    Our nutrition team produce resources such as guides, videos, blogs and recipes, to help you navigate new and existing legislation, guidance and key topics.

Meet the Bidfood nutrition team

  • Samantha Mollart, RNutr

    Senior Allergen and Nutrition Manager

    Samantha has a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Reading and an MSc in Human Nutrition from the University of Surrey. Samantha started off working in nutrition and food policy before joining Bidfood in 2016 as the Company Nutritionist. Since then Samantha has broadened her scope to include the management of allergens and now leads the Nutrition Team too.

  • Heather Dolan, RNutr

    Nutrition Manager

    Heather also studied Biological Sciences at the University of Reading and has a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Surrey. Heather has worked in foodservice for a number of years, including a role with The Walt Disney Company, before starting her nutrition career as a Foodservice Nutritionist working in NHS hospitals. Heather joined Bidfood in 2023 as Nutrition Manager, sitting within Technical Services.

How Bidfood supports customers with nutrition

  • Assessing product nutritionals

    Within our own-brand product range, we strive to improve our products through policies such as salt reduction, as well as projects such as sugar reduction. We also use our nutrition screening tool to assess levels of key nutrients, ensuring that health and nutrition are considered for new and updated products.
    Bidfood also helps customers make informed choices through tools such as our ‘traffic light report’, available through our Advice Centre. This report nutritionally profiles all of our own-brand and branded products against various standards, such as Public Health England’s sugar reduction targets, the sugar tax (for soft drinks) and front of pack traffic light labelling.

  • Salt reduction

    At Bidfood, we recognise that achieving the public health goal of consuming no more than 6g of salt per person, per day, will necessitate further action across the whole industry, Government, non-Government organisations and individuals.
    As a result, Bidfood is striving to achieve the 2024 salt reduction targets across our own-brand portfolio. All new products introduced into own-brand are expected to meet, or fall below, the 2024 maximum targets for the relevant category, or below the average, where a maximum is not set. As of October 2024, 71% of own-brand products meet the maximum salt target.

    Find out more

  • Sugar reduction

    We’ve previously worked closely with Public Health England on their sugar reduction programme, by developing a strategy to lower the quantity of sugar that is consumed from our products and working towards their sugar reduction targets.
    We have reduced the sugar in a number of own-brand products, without using sweeteners or compromising on quality or taste.

    Find out more
    sugar reduction

  • Calorie labelling

    We have a range of resources including a guide and podcast, to help customers in the out of home sector navigate the mandatory calorie labelling legislation that was implemented in 2022.

    Find out more
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  • Trends

    We also like to get involved in Bidfood’s annual food and drink trends. Our latest health-focused trend, Friendly Fibre, explores this underrated nutrient and breaks down the science around fibre and gut health. Or, explore last year’s trend Mind, Mood and body.

    Find out more

Sector specific nutrition support

  • Schools

    On our schools page, you can find our three week menu cycle for primary schools, which was developed by our culinary development chefs and nutrition team, in line with the School Food Standards. This resource has been carefully crafted to help our education customers offer food that tastes great and helps support children’s health and wellbeing.
    You can also find a link to our podcast episode where we discuss breaking down barriers around healthy eating in education.

    Find out more

  • Universities

    On our universities page, you can find our “Self: student well-being” guide, as well as our “Menus of the Future” concept, which is full of blogs, videos, recipes and more.
    You will also find a link to our podcast, where we discuss healthier and more sustainable eating in universities.

    Find out more

  • Care homes

    On our care homes page, you can explore our Interactive Care Home, a unique resources that allows you to explore all of the support that Bidfood has to offer.
    You will also find menu cycles and recipe guides, which have been reviewed by our nutrition team. Furthermore, since the launch of the BDA Care Home Digest in June 2023, our recipes are aligned with these long awaited foodservice and menu planning guidelines.
    For more information on the BDA Care Home Digest, check out our blog.

    Find out more

Catering for different dietary requirements

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  • Diabetes

    For a detailed look on how to cater for diabetes in care homes, take a look at our ‘Catering for Diabetes’ guide, full of information, menu planning tips and recipes.

  • Dysphagia

    Our ‘Catering for Dysphagia’ page is a hub of support, including videos and information on Simply Puree, a dedicated range of texture modified dishes created for people with dysphagia.

  • Dementia

    Our catering for dementia page is full of resources including a guide, cutlery free recipes and a podcast episode, to help you create inspiring meal times for care home residents with dementia.

Vegan and vegetarian

We recognise the growing trend towards plant-based diets, with more people now choosing a flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan diet.

  • Plant-based

    Plant-based dietary patterns are comprised mostly or entirely of foods derived from plant sources such as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Therefore, animal products may not be completely excluded, however, there will be a greater emphasis on foods from plants.

  • Vegan

    Veganism in dietary terms means excluding all products derived wholly or partly from animals. Vegans avoid exploiting animals for any purpose.

    vegan

  • Vegetarian

    A vegetarian is usually described as someone who does not eat meat, poultry, fish, shellfish or any by-products of slaughter. However, there is no single, accepted definition of vegetarian.
    Eating proportionally more plant-based foods can help to reduce the carbon footprint of a diet, help you get more of your 5 a day and help provide you with the range of vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.

Bidfood’s own-brand vegan products

Bidfood offers over 3,000 vegan suitable products, from nutritious vegetables to vegan burgers, as well as providing a range of creative menu ideas throughout our blogs which show ways to create tasty and interesting dishes for all to enjoy.

Our range of own-brand vegan products meet the following criteria:

  • They are not made from, or with, non-vegan ingredients from end to end supply chain
  • ‘May contains’ for animal-derived ingredients (milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, molluscs) are permitted, however, every effort should be taken to minimise cross contamination with animal-derived allergens
  • Vegan products are intended for vegan consumers and those looking to reduce their meat and animal derivative consumption. They are not created for consumers with food allergies and should not be seen as allergen-free

Data disclosure

We have been looking at some of our sales data to help guide our nutrition and health strategy.

  • “Healthy” products

    There is currently no clear consensus on how to define “healthy” food, however, we have started with food and drink products that are not high in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt, as per the Government’s front of pack nutrition labelling guidance.

    We recognise this is not a perfect approach, as some foods may be excluded (which we would not necessarily discourage consumption of, such as nuts and oily fish) and we plan to continue exploring ways of defining healthier products moving forwards.

    Using this methodology, we can report the following:

    Between July 2023 and June 2024, Bidfood core “healthy” product sales grew 7% year on year (YOY).

  • Animal-based vs plant-based protein

    We used the WWF UK’s “Journey to Corporate Protein Disclosure” guide to define animal-based and plant-based protein.
    Under this guidance, animal protein includes meat, poultry, game, fish, seafood, dairy and eggs.Plant protein includes legumes, beans and pulses, meat alternatives, nuts and seeds. Our reporting includes fresh, frozen and processed protein products. At this time, we were not able to include prepared and composite products, but will continue to look into this moving forwards.

    Using this methodology, we can report the following:
    • Of total core protein volume sales, plant-based protein is 25% and between July 2023 and June 2024, this split remained stable.
    • Bidfood have seen growth in volume sales of plant-based proteins by 17% YOY.

    vegan protein

  • Fruit and vegetables

    This includes fresh, frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables.

    Using this methodology, we can report the following:

    Between July 2023 and June 2024, Bidfood fruit and vegetables volume sales grew 17% YOY.
    With the strongest performance being in fresh fruit and vegetables at an increase of 19% YOY.

Allergens

It is estimated that 2.6 million people are living with food hypersensitivies (food allergies, food intolerances and coeliac disease) in the UK.

At Bidfood, we take the management of allergens very seriously and work hard to support customers with areas such as developments in legislation, like Natasha’s Law.

Find out more

Why choose Bidfood

  • A wholesaler who cares and puts our customers first
  • Access to sector experts' knowledge and customer-only tools and support
  • Efficient deliveries providing specialist brand and own brand products
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