Nature Food

Hammond, E., Bandy, L., Milner-Gulland, E.J. et al. Large nutritional and environmental improvements can be achieved across the product portfolios of major UK food and beverage manufacturers. Nat Food (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-026-01420-2

Food and beverage (F&B) manufacturers can support or hinder the transition towards a more sustainable food system. Yet, there is limited evidence about their potential to improve the nutritiousness and reduce the environmental impact of the F&B sector. Here we develop an approach to estimate the nutritional quality and environmental impact of the product lines of 44 major F&B manufacturers in the UK. We find considerable variation in terms of nutritional quality and environmental impacts across manufacturers operating within the same food retail category and within existing F&B product portfolios. We identify how changing the types of product sold by these manufacturers offers potential for nutritional and environmental benefits. For some of the F&B manufacturers assessed, changes to 10% or less of their product line could deliver more than half of the potential gains in nutritional quality or sustainability.