Case Study: From 17% to 100% - How Goodfella’s Became a Healthier Meal Choice Across the Entire Portfolio

“At Nomad Foods we are led by nutrition science. As Europe’s largest frozen food company, our purpose is to make mealtimes better with the goodness of frozen food for our millions of consumers. We recognise our responsibility to contribute to public health improvement, and so are proud to be leaders in nutrition. We apply scientifically robust measures including nutrient profiling and front-of-pack nutrition labelling and are food industry experts on nutrition and manufacturing healthy options at scale. Our approach to nutrition has been verified by our former Nutrition Advisory Board and current Sustainability Advisory Board, comprised of independent experts from across Europe. 

Nutrition governance & transparency  

Nomad Foods uses an externally verified Nutrient Profiling Tool (NPT), the UK Government Nutrient Profiling Model, to assess the overall nutritional profile of products and determine whether they constitute a healthy product. 

• This tool determines whether a product is a Healthier Meal Choice (HMC), i.e. non-High Fat, Salt or Sugar (non-HFSS), or not, by assessing the balance of positive ingredients and nutrients, including fruit, vegetables, fibre and protein, against nutrients of public health concern such as sugar, salt and saturated fat. 

• HMC criteria align with non-HFSS standards and are embedded in the innovation and renovation process. 

• All R&D and quality colleagues are trained in nutrition, and the company runs a continuous programme of healthy product innovation and nutritional optimisation. 

• Reformulation focuses on reducing nutrients of concern and increasing positive nutrition (e.g., fibre, vegetables) without compromising taste 

• In Nomad Foods’ project gatekeeping process, any product not classified as a HMC are automatically challenged and may be rejected or redeveloped to become HMC before launch. 

• In 2024, 96% of branded net sales came from HMC products, and 100% of new product innovations met HMC criteria. 

• This means all new launches are screened for compliance with these nutrition standards before going to market, and this in turn maximises the proportion of product launches which are HMC.  

• In 2024, 96% of branded net sales came from HMC products, and 100% of new product innovations met HMC criteria. 

• Nomad Foods voluntarily reports the proportion of sales and launches that are HMC or nutritionally improved, and has done voluntarily since 2017. 

• It has also consistently scored 100% in Health and Nutrition on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the past six consecutive years, reflecting its strong nutrition strategy, governance, portfolio and transparency.

Goodfellas Reformulation Case Study 

• When Nomad Foods acquired Goodfella’s in 2018, improving the nutritional profile of the range was a key focus. At that time, only 17% of sales came from HMC (non-HFSS) products.  

• By the end of 2023, 100% of Goodfella’s pizzas were classified as Healthier Meal Choices (HMC) and non-HFSS. 

• For Goodfella’s, this meant reformulating bases, sauces, and toppings to reduce nutrients of public health concern and increase positive nutrients and ingredients, while retaining taste and avoiding perceived difference between original and reformulated recipes.  

• Key Nutritional Improvements:

  • Salt reduction to meet UK 2024 maximum salt targets – 100% of the Goodfella’s portfolio is UK salt target compliant. 

  • Fibre increase across best-selling SKUs, supporting Nomad’s Action on Fibre commitments (Nomad Foods is a founding signatory of the FDF Action on Fibre initiative). 

Ambition to Action  

• The reformulation was not a one-off; but an example of how Nomad Foods embeds nutrition in the innovation and renovation pipeline process, influencing recipe and product development, and driving reformulation across key brands.  

• Nomad Foods has steadily improved the nutritional profile of its portfolio over the past several years, increasing the proportion of sales from HMC products from ~81% in 2017 to 96% across 2024.  

• Since launching its Nutrition Manifesto in 2018, the company has embedded nutrient profiling into its innovation and renovation processes, driving reformulation across key brands.  

• Major progress includes reducing salt and saturated fat, increasing fibre, and ensuring most products are HMC (non-HFSS). This continuous improvement reflects Nomad’s commitment to making healthier choices accessible without compromising taste or quality.