Sugar’s image may be diminishing as more people aim for healthier eating habits, yet it remains a staple in many beloved foods, making it unlikely to lose its popularity anytime soon, despite ongoing efforts to dethrone it. Sugar is commonly linked to festive foods, like birthday and wedding cakes, not to mention Valentine’s Day chocolates or Halloween candy collected by children. It’s also prevalent in cookies, sodas, breads, sauces, juices, and countless other items that American consumers frequently buy.
According to Euromonitor data, the average global sugar consumption was 34 grams per day from packaged foods and drinks in 2014, but the United States stood out as the largest consumer, averaging 126 grams daily—equivalent to roughly three cans of Pepsi or four bags of M&M’s. “Sweet has always been a positive and desirable flavor,” noted Amy Bentley, a professor at New York University’s Department of Nutrition and Food Studies. “We commemorate significant events with sweet treats… even though chocolate is available every day.”
Fundamentally, sweetness is a reassuring flavor, instinctively signaling that the food is safe to consume, unlike bitter or sour tastes. Humans exhibit a preference for sweet flavors early in life; a 2012 study in the Journal of Nutrition found that even newborns favor sweetness, consuming more of sweetened solutions. However, despite this fondness, sugar is currently one of the most criticized ingredients due to its link to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. According to Euromonitor, nearly half of global consumers are interested in foods with minimal or no added sugar, while Mintel reports that 84% of Americans are trying to reduce sugar in their diets, and 79% read labels to check for sugar types.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also taking action by mandating that added sugars be included on product labels as part of the revised Nutrition Facts label, with compliance expected to begin in 2020. Given the ongoing scrutiny of sugar and the general trend toward healthier eating, one might assume that sugar consumption has drastically decreased. However, that’s not entirely accurate.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans consumed an average of 20.8 teaspoons of added sugars and sweeteners daily in 1970. This figure surged to 26 teaspoons by 2000, largely driven by soda consumption, as noted by Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association. Since then, many legislative measures have been introduced to reduce sugary drink consumption across the nation, particularly in cities in California, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. Concurrently, consumers have begun favoring healthier beverages like tea, water, and coffee.
Soda consumption has declined over time, with bottled water surpassing it as America’s preferred drink in 2016. Currently, the average person consumes about 22.5 teaspoons of added sugar each day—still above the American Heart Association’s recommendations of 9 teaspoons for adult men and 6 teaspoons for adult women. “Total added sugar consumption hasn’t changed much over the past 45 years,” Gaine remarked.
Several factors likely contribute to this phenomenon, including a natural craving for sugar and the difficulty of reducing intake. Many everyday products, such as bread, pasta sauce, ketchup, energy drinks, and granola bars, contain sugar. When consumers try to cut back, they might forgo a nightly bowl of ice cream or a piece of candy but overlook the sugar present in these other items.
Food and beverage manufacturers are responding to consumer demands for healthier options, leading to the development of reduced-sugar and alternative-sweetener products. Nestle has patented a naturally reconstructed sugar molecule that can decrease sugar content in its confectionery items by up to 40% without sacrificing sweetness. Similarly, DouxMatok, an Israeli food tech startup, has patented a method to enhance sugar delivery to taste buds, allowing for a reduction of up to 40% in sugar content while preserving taste in baked goods, dairy, and chocolate.
In Australia, Holista CollTech has applied for a patent on the world’s first all-natural low glycemic index (GI) sugar, which retains the sweetness of traditional sugar but is digested more slowly. Unlike artificial sweeteners, this new sugar can be melted, baked, and caramelized in cooking. Innovations from companies like Nestle and DouxMatok enable manufacturers to use less sugar while still achieving desired sweetness and consistency, offering the added benefit of cost savings that could boost sales and profit margins.
Such developments may help maintain sugar’s favorable reputation among consumers, even as the demand for natural alternatives rises. “Sugar will always be sought after because we enjoy that sweet flavor,” remarked Lester Wilson, a professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University. “However, due to the obesity crisis, I believe sugar consumption will decrease. Still, it takes time for people’s taste preferences to evolve.”
While consumers are wary of seeing sugar listed as a primary ingredient on product labels, many prefer it over unfamiliar or unpronounceable alternative sweeteners. Gaine noted that the number of products advertising a “contains sugar” claim rose by 10% in 2017 compared to the previous year, indicating that more consumers view real sugar as a premium ingredient. This shift has prompted some manufacturers to revert to sugar after previously removing it from their products. For example, Coca-Cola returned to using sugar in Vitaminwater after customer backlash against a sugar-stevia blend, while PepsiCo’s Throwback products, featuring naturally sugar-sweetened formulas, gained permanent status due to consumer demand.
Sugar offers several advantages that other sweeteners do not, particularly in manufacturing processes like baking and confections. Currently, no single ingredient can replace sugar and replicate all its functional properties. When alternatives like stevia or monk fruit are used, they often require additional ingredients to achieve similar sweetness and bulk.
Taste remains paramount in the food industry. Consumers appreciate reduced-sugar or alternative sweeteners, but only if the taste is indistinguishable from the original. Coca-Cola recently introduced a stevia-sweetened soda with zero sugar and calories, lacking the aftertaste common in many products that use stevia. Other companies are embarking on similar initiatives.
The looming risk for sugar is the emergence of a comparable alternative. For now, some manufacturers continue to search for ways to provide a sugar experience with less sugar. The National Confectioners Association is actively educating consumers about managing sugar intake, clarifying definitions of common candy and chocolate ingredients, and promoting healthier treat options and smaller portion sizes.
“The products our companies create are meant to be indulgent. They’re not meal replacements,” stated Christopher Gindlesperger, vice president of public affairs and communications for the National Confectioners Association. “Sugar is a key ingredient in chocolate and candy, and replacing it in production is quite challenging.”
Many food companies are proactively seeking methods to reduce sugar levels in their products. PepsiCo committed in 2016 that two-thirds of its global beverage volume would come from drinks containing 100 calories or fewer from added sugars by 2025. Additionally, Stonyfield, America’s largest organic yogurt producer, announced last February its plan to cut added sugars by up to 40% in some product lines, focusing on reducing acidity in yogurt through specific cultures that produce lower lactic acid.
Perry Cerminara, director of commodities sourcing at Hershey, revealed that the candy maker is offering more smaller-sized portions and aims to have half of its standard and king-size confectionery portfolio at 200 calories or fewer by 2022. “Consumers understand that candy is an indulgence made with sugar and expect that when treating themselves,” Cerminara commented. “Last year, we saw significant growth in our classic confection products that have maintained consistent sugar levels.”
Despite ongoing efforts by companies to find sugar substitutes or cut the amount of sugar in their products, consumers still crave sugar or something that mimics its taste. For now, a label indicating a reduction in sugar content may help assuage consumers’ guilt while still satisfying their sweet tooth. “We love sugar,” Bentley affirmed. “The appeal of the sweet flavor is so strong that we want to manage it, yet we often don’t know how.”
Moreover, integrating ingredients like calcium citrate with vitamin K2 into products may also reflect the evolving landscape of consumer preferences toward healthier options while still appreciating the sweetness of sugar.