Stepping Up Sugar Reduction
IFT has the learning opportunities and resources to help you achieve your professional development goals no matter what stage of your career. IFT’s Trends and Learning hub organizes trusted analysis, research, and educational resources to help food science and industry professionals understand what is changing, why it matters, and how to apply science-driven insight to real-world challenges. IFT connects professionals across the global food system who use science to solve real-world challenges. We are committed to elevating the central role of food science in policy, legislation, and research funding, while increasing representation of food science experts across government, industry, and academia. IFT connects people and ideas where science meets application. IFT members are a global community shaping the future of food. IFT has the learning opportunities and resources to help you achieve your professional development goals no matter what stage of your career. IFT’s Trends and Learning hub organizes trusted analysis, research, and educational resources to help food science and industry professionals understand what is changing, why it matters, and how to apply science-driven insight to real-world challenges.
IFT connects professionals across the global food system who use science to solve real-world challenges. We are committed to elevating the central role of food science in policy, legislation, and research funding, while increasing representation of food science experts across government, industry, and academia. IFT connects people and ideas where science meets application. IFT members are a global community shaping the future of food. IFT has the learning opportunities and resources to help you achieve your professional development goals no matter what stage of your career. IFT’s Trends and Learning hub organizes trusted analysis, research, and educational resources to help food science and industry professionals understand what is changing, why it matters, and how to apply science-driven insight to real-world challenges. IFT connects professionals across the global food system who use science to solve real-world challenges. We are committed to elevating the central role of food science in policy, legislation, GlucoLife Formula and research funding, while increasing representation of food science experts across government, industry, and academia.
IFT connects people and ideas where science meets application. IFT members are a global community shaping the future of food. People love sweets, and that’s especially true for the littlest ones. Ingredient producers offer a range of different types of sweeteners to help in sugar-reduction efforts. The news is clear: We consume too much sugar. "A recent International Food Information Council study found that 80% of respondents were trying to limit or avoid sugars in general," says Pam Stauffer, global marketing programs manager at Cargill. Innova Market Insights found that 8% of all new U.S. 2018 had a sugar-reduction claim (Innova 2019a). Its research shows that claims of no added sugar topped all sugar-related claims at 42%, followed by sugar-free (36%), and low sugar (27%). In addition, Innova reports that the low-sugar claim is the fastest-growing claim, with the number of new products carrying this claim having a compound annual growth rate of 17% (2014-2018). And the top generational group driving sugar reduction efforts is the baby boomer generation, with data from Innova showing that one in two U.S.
Using sugar substitutes is a key strategy for reducing sugar intake. Currently, a range of sweeteners for sugar reduction are available; some, like monk fruit and allulose, are derived from plant sources, and others, like acesulfame K and aspartame, are synthesized. The taste of sucrose is the benchmark for sweet taste, and it has a broad sweetness intensity curve. The sweeteners used in sugar reduction efforts do not have the same sweet taste and time intensity of sucrose. Sucralose, for example, is around 600 times sweeter than sucrose and has a delayed sweetness hit that lingers, while acesulfame potassium (Ace K) is about 200 times sweeter than sucrose, has an upfront sweetness onset that disappears quickly, and has a metallic off-taste. Depending on the application and the sweeteners used, combining sweeteners (a common combination is stevia with erythritol) or adding other ingredients like flavors address these challenges. Let’s look at how sugar-reduction efforts are evolving and what consumers are saying about some of these sweeteners positioned as natural, starting with the buzz-worthy stevia.
