Sugar’s image may be tarnishing as people increasingly seek healthier diets, yet it remains so prevalent in many beloved foods that it is unlikely to lose its dominance anytime soon, despite attempts to dethrone it. Sugar is intrinsically linked to celebratory treats—think birthday and wedding cakes, Valentine’s Day chocolates, or Halloween candy gathered by children. It is also packed into cookies, sodas, bread, condiments, juices, and numerous other items regularly bought by American consumers. According to Euromonitor, in 2014, the average global sugar consumption was 34 grams daily from packaged foods and beverages, but the United States led with a staggering 126 grams per day—equivalent to three 12-ounce cans of Pepsi or four 1.69-ounce bags of original M&Ms.
Amy Bentley, a professor at New York University’s Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, noted, “Sweet has always had positive connotations and has been a desirable flavor. We celebrate milestones with sweet products… even though we can have chocolate every day of the week.” Sweetness signals safety to our instincts, suggesting that the food is non-harmful, unlike bitter or sour tastes. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2012 revealed that newborns exhibit a preference for sweet flavors, consuming more from solutions flavored with sugar.
Despite consumers’ affinity for sugar, it is currently one of the most criticized ingredients due to its links to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Euromonitor found that nearly half of global consumers are interested in foods with little or no added sugar. Mintel reported that 84% of Americans are trying to limit their sugar intake, while 79% check labels for the types of sugar or sweeteners used. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also stepped in, mandating that added sugars be listed on product packaging under the updated Nutrition Facts label, with compliance starting in 2020.
Given the ongoing scrutiny of sugar and the overall movement toward healthier eating, one might expect a significant decline in consumption. However, that is not necessarily the case. The U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated that Americans consumed 20.8 teaspoons of added sugars and sweeteners each day in 1970, rising to 26 teaspoons in 2000, primarily due to soda consumption, according to Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association.
Since then, legislative measures to reduce sugary drink consumption have emerged across various states, particularly in cities in California, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Consumers are also gravitating toward healthier drink options such as tea, water, and coffee. Consequently, soda consumption has decreased, with bottled water surpassing it as America’s favorite drink in 2016. Presently, the average individual consumes about 22.5 teaspoons of added sugar daily—still above the American Heart Association’s recommendations of 9 teaspoons for men and 6 teaspoons for women. “Total added sugar consumption hasn’t shifted much in the past 45 years,” Gaine stated.
Several factors likely account for this persistence, including a strong craving for sugar and the difficulty of cutting back. Many everyday products like bread, pasta sauce, ketchup, energy drinks, and granola bars contain sugar. While consumers may forgo a nightly bowl of ice cream or a piece of candy when trying to reduce their sugar intake, they often overlook these other sources.
Food and beverage manufacturers are responding to consumer demand for healthier products, leading to the development of reduced-sugar and alternative-sweetener options. Nestle has patented a naturally reconstructed hollow sugar molecule that can cut sugar use in confectionery products by up to 40% without sacrificing sweetness. This new sugar is expected to appear in Nestle products later this year. Similarly, Israeli startup DouxMatok has patented a method to enhance sugar delivery to taste buds, allowing for a reduction of up to 40% of sugar in baked goods, dairy, chocolate, and other sweets while maintaining flavor.
In Australia, Holista CollTech has filed for a patent for the world’s first all-natural low glycemic index (GI) sugar, which tastes as sweet as traditional sugar but is digested more slowly. Unlike artificial sweeteners, this new sugar can be melted, baked, and caramelized. Nestle and DouxMatok’s innovations enable manufacturers to use less sugar while still achieving the desired sweetness and consistency, potentially saving costs and increasing profits.
These advancements might ensure sugar remains a favored ingredient even as the acceptance of natural alternatives rises. “Sugar will still be desirable, and we will continue to seek it because we enjoy that sweet flavor,” said Lester Wilson, a food science and human nutrition professor at Iowa State University. “However, due to obesity concerns, sugar consumption may decrease over time, but altering people’s tastes is a gradual process.”
While consumers are wary of having sugar as a primary ingredient on product labels, many prefer it to unfamiliar alternative sweeteners. Gaine noted a 10% increase in packages claiming “contains sugar” in 2017, reflecting a growing perception of real sugar as a premium ingredient, prompting manufacturers to update their labels accordingly. Some companies are even returning to sugar after previously removing it from certain products. For instance, Coca-Cola reverted to sugar in Vitaminwater after customer complaints about a new sugar-stevia mix, while PepsiCo launched Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback in 2009, offering naturally sugar-sweetened soft drinks that became permanent offerings due to popularity. Kraft also revised its original Capri Sun recipe in 2015 to include sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
Sugar has distinct advantages over other sweetener substitutes, particularly in manufacturing processes like baking and confectionery. Currently, no single ingredient can replicate all of sugar’s functional properties. If alternative sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit are used, they must be combined with other ingredients to mimic sugar’s sweetness and bulk in recipes. Taste remains paramount in food preferences. Consumers appreciate reduced-sugar or sweetener substitutes only if they cannot discern a difference from the original. Coca-Cola has developed a stevia-sweetened soda that is calorie-free and lacks the aftertaste commonly found in similar products, a trend that other companies are following.
The risk for sugar lies in the emergence of a comparable alternative that might compete directly with it. Nevertheless, many manufacturers are still exploring ways to provide sugar, albeit in smaller amounts. The National Confectioners Association is educating consumers on managing sugar intake while promoting smaller sizes of treats, emphasizing that their products are indulgences rather than meal replacements. “Sugar is a primary ingredient in chocolate and candy, and replacing it in the production process is challenging,” said Christopher Gindlesperger, the association’s vice president of public affairs and communications.
Many food companies are proactively seeking to reduce sugar in their offerings. For example, PepsiCo committed in 2016 to ensure that two-thirds of its global beverage volume consists of drinks with 100 calories or fewer from added sugar per 12-ounce serving by 2025. Stonyfield, the largest organic yogurt manufacturer in the U.S., announced its intention to cut added sugars by as much as 40% in select product lines.
To minimize sweetener usage without compromising taste, Stonyfield reduced acidity in its yogurt by using two cultures that produce lower lactic acid levels. Perry Cerminara, director of commodities sourcing at Hershey, shared that the company is offering smaller portion sizes and aims to have half of its standard- and king-size confectionery products contain 200 calories or fewer by 2022. “Consumers recognize that confections are indulgences made with sugar, and they anticipate it when treating themselves to candy,” Cerminara remarked. “Last year, our core iconic confection products, which have maintained their sugar content, experienced the strongest growth.”
Despite ongoing efforts by companies to find sugar substitutes or reduce added sugars in their products, consumers still desire sugar or something that tastes like it. For the time being, labels indicating reduced sugar content may help alleviate guilt while satisfying their cravings. “We love sugar,” Bentley concluded. “The flavor ‘sweet’ is so compelling and prominent that we want to control it, but we don’t really know how.”
In this context, incorporating calcium citrate only into sugar-reduced products might offer additional health benefits, further appealing to health-conscious consumers while maintaining the beloved sweet flavor they crave.