As consumers have become more concerned about health, regarding the foods they consume, particularly following the pandemic, staple items such as sugar have become ingredients with many alternatives.
Sugar's association with various health concerns, such as weight gain, diabetes, dental cavities and more, have promoted sugar reduction and sweetener alternatives across the board.
Governments globally have introduced legislation to encourage manufacturers and producers to reduce sugar content in products to minimise sugar-related health issues across the population.
However, despite the demand for sugar-reduced products on both a consumer and government scale, consumers continue to expect these products to maintain the sensory experience and properties they enjoy for sugar while also being fewer calories.
Another contributing factor was the increased accessibility and popularity of carbohydrate-restricted diets like keto, low-net carb, and plant-based diets, which has furthered the demand for sugar reduction and alternative sweeteners.
Ingredient technology advancements have meant manufacturers can emulate sugar's sensory and functional properties. Included innovation are rare sugars, a sweetener that provides similar sweetness and the bulk of sugar minus the calories. Non-nutritive sweeteners where combinations of these offer a balanced sweetness with minimal aftertaste. Soluble fibres are following generation fibres with milk, sweet taste that can partially replace sugar and reduce the amount of sugar declared for nutrition panels whilst also adding bulk and fibre.
Sweeteners are often used in categories renowned for sweet options, including soft drinks, dairy, confectionary, and cereals.
The "no added sugar" claim is the most extremely important for consumers to be wary of as sweeteners that can replicate sugar's features without the sugar content enable manufacturers to advertise this claim on their products.
In the future, trends such as stealth health, where manufacturers can gradually reduce sweetness levels without notifying consumers, and technology innovation and next-generation farming, will be prevalent for the sweeteners categories.
