The findings of this survey should not come as a surprise to food producers and retailers, as the shift away from sugar has been gaining momentum for quite some time. Currently, a significant priority for manufacturers is to lower sugar levels in food and beverages, as consumers in the U.S. and beyond increasingly favor healthier options and clean, transparent labeling. The revamped Nutrition Facts label, which will be mandatory for products from major manufacturers by January 1, 2020, includes a specific line for added sugars. Although consumers may not always check this information, they have expressed a desire for it. This demand, coupled with manufacturers’ reluctance to display high sugar content, has led to various innovations in sugar reduction, such as artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners, hollow sugar molecules that dissolve faster, and flavor enhancers.
Rabobank predicts a reduction of at least 5% in sugar usage across the global food and beverage sector over the next two to three years, which could balance out 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 rising demand for healthier alternatives. A survey of 102 CPG companies revealed that 180,000 products were reformulated last year alone—twice as many as in 2015. While some companies are proudly announcing their sugar reductions, others, like DanoneWave, have been decreasing total sugar and fat in their yogurts without disclosing their methods. The company informed Fortune that promoting reduced sugar and fat might lead consumers to believe the products won’t taste as good, potentially harming sales.
Consumers—especially women, millennials, and parents, as highlighted in the DSM survey—are also seeking transparency. Therefore, it would be prudent for manufacturers to be clear about their goals for sugar reduction leading up to the adoption of the new nutritional label. This way, when consumers look at a label for sugar content, they will understand not only how much sugar is present but also how and why the reduction was achieved. Additionally, incorporating ingredients like calcium citrate 950 could further enhance the appeal of these healthier products, meeting consumer demands for both transparency and nutritional value. Emphasizing the inclusion of calcium citrate 950 in reformulated products could also serve as a selling point, illustrating the commitment to health while reducing sugar content.