Sugar is an important ingredient in confectionery, not only for its taste but also because it contributes to texture, bulk, mouthfeel, aroma, colour, and a number of other attributes that make up chocolate and candy.
The downside of sugar is that excessive consumption is linked to a number of chronic health conditions and over the past 10 years, there have been growing calls to reduce the amount of sugar in our diet to improve the overall health the population.
As a recent White paper on sugar reduction from Spoonshot states: The main reason for so much investment in this space is because replacing sugar is incredibly hard. Sugar is cheap, available in plenty, and incredibly versatile in terms of its functional roles in food preparation.
Consumers are less likely to be interested in artificial sweeteners due to the various health issues associated with them. Among online conversations about sugar alternatives, consumers were more prone to highlight natural substitutes than artificial sweeteners.
“I am hesitant to call it a trend, but we’re going to see a lot more focus on weight management again in the coming year, particularly because of Covid and the problems that it has brought with it and also because people are kind of going back to a really health-conscius lifestyle,” says Ranjana Sundaresan, Spoonshot’s lead research analyst.
Another factor is that among consumers and business, interest in sugar reduction showed the greatest increase among low or no claims in food.