Restaurant chain Pizza Hut has been temporarily re-branded Pasta Hut to reflect its new nutrition-conscious menu, in response to public concerns about the level of saturated fat and unhealthy ingredients used in the food.

As part of the new menu, the restaurant group intends to reduce salt levels in its foods by 10 per cent over the next three years to meet the FSA's salt targets for 2010. The children’s menu has also been revamped to include hidden vegetables and a complimentary side salad. In addition, all hydrogenated vegetable oils have been been removed from the menu and a saturated fat removal programme has begun.

The trial re-branding will run in tandem with a six-year £100m upgrade of its fast-food stores into smart casual restaurants. So far, £35m has already been spent on refurbishing 100 restaurants, with £17m this year alone and a further £24m to be invested in restaurant revamps and new openings in 2009 and 2010.

Pizza Hut chief executive, Alasdair Murdoch, said: “We have made significant changes to the business over the past few years and we wanted to create a moment in time for people to sit back and take notice."