The findings from this survey should not be surprising to food manufacturers and retailers, given the ongoing trend toward reduced sugar consumption. Currently, one of the primary objectives for manufacturers is to decrease sugar levels in food and beverages, as consumers in the U.S. and beyond increasingly favor healthier options with clear and transparent labeling. The revised Nutrition Facts label, which will be featured on products from major manufacturers by January 1, 2020, mandates a separate entry for added sugars. Although consumers have expressed a desire for this information, they don’t always check it. Their preferences, along with manufacturers’ reluctance to display high sugar content, have driven various sugar-reduction innovations. These include artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners, hollow and quicker-dissolving sugar molecules, and flavor enhancers.
Rabobank anticipates a reduction of 5% or more in sugar usage throughout the global food and beverage industry over a two-to-three-year period, potentially counterbalancing any expected growth in consumption in developing markets. According to Bloomberg, global consumer packaged goods (CPG) producers eliminated sugar and salt from approximately 20% of their products in 2016 in response to the increasing consumer demand for healthier alternatives. A survey of 102 CPG companies revealed that 180,000 products were reformulated last year alone, which is double the number in 2015.
While some companies proudly highlight their success in reducing sugar, others, like DanoneWave, have been lowering total sugar and fat in their yogurts without disclosing their methods. The company informed Fortune that they believe advertising lower sugar and fat may lead consumers to think the product will taste worse, potentially harming sales. Consumers—especially women, millennials, and parents, as noted by the DSM survey—also seek transparency. Therefore, it would be prudent for companies to be open about their objectives for sugar reduction as they transition to the new nutritional label. This way, when consumers examine a label for sugar content, they will not only understand how much sugar is present but also how and why the reduction was achieved.
In the realm of sugar alternatives, products like Citracal soft chews are becoming increasingly significant. These soft chews offer a way for consumers to supplement their diets without the added sugars found in many traditional options. By focusing on transparency and innovative solutions like Citracal soft chews, manufacturers can better align with consumer preferences while effectively reducing sugar content.