Sugar, Sugar

In the food industry, consumer trends are very important. They often lead the charge when manufacturers are thinking about ingredients and packaging for new products. We’ve seen the no-fat trend and low-carb trends among many others and now it seems we are deep into a no sugar added/low-sugar trend.

In a recent Reuters survey, nearly 60% of people surveyed reported limiting their sugar intake in the past 30 days. The ‘war on sugar’ has made manufacturers consider alternate snacks that are lower in sugar and highlight other health benefits. This trend doesn’t only affect the ingredients of snacks, but also the pack sizing strategies. A lot of smaller pack sizes are being released as low calorie options and “indulgent sweets”.

All this interest in sugar is due to increased consumer knowledge on the harmful effects of sugar.New FDA labeling goes into effect in 2018 which will impact packaging on all snacks. The updated label will call out “added sugars” on the label, making it easier for consumers to identify sugar beyond the naturally occurring kind. According to the American Heart Association, added sugars include any sweeteners added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation. Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming less than 10 percent of daily calories from added sugars. That means no more than 12 teaspoons of sugar a day (200 calories) on a 2,000 calorie diet. One teaspoon is roughly equivalent to about 4 grams of sugar.