Americans have a conflicted relationship with sweetness, as illustrated by new research from the International Food Information Council that found that 58% rank it their favorite flavor, but even more – 78% – believe they should reduce it in their diets.
What does this mean for the food and beverage industry?
It means manufacturers should give shoppers more choices for satisfying their sweet tooth, said Monica Amburn, IFIC’s senior director of food and & nutrition.
“Providing options for smaller portions and bite-size treats may help consumers satisfy their sweet cravings without detriment to their nutritional goals,” says Amburn.
Most Americans understand where sugar comes from in their diets, whether indulgences or whole foods, according to IFIC’s Spotlight Survey: American’s Perceptions of Sweetness in their Diets, published last month.
The survey asked 1,000 consumers to select their top two favorite food flavors: sweet, savory, salty, sour and bitter. They ranked their first choice no. 1 and second choice no. 2. Sweetness won with respondents reporting the foods that bring the most sweetness to their diet include desserts/sweet snacks (53%), candy (49%) and fruit (41%).
At the same time, nearly 8 out of 10 participants agreed limiting sugar in their diet is important to eat healthier, manage blood sugar or diabetes, and manage body weight. When asked to pinpoint which foods bring the most sweetness to their diet, 53% said desserts/sweet snacks, 49% said candy and 41% said fruit. This indicates an awareness of where sugar comes from, whether indulgences or whole foods.
‘Sugar provides more than just extra flavor’
Amburn says that what many Americans are not aware of is the functional purpose of sugar. They think of sugar for providing sweetness only.
“What’s surprising is that sugar provides more than just extra flavor and sweetness in foods,” she says. “It is also a functional ingredient that is often used to help improve the texture of foods, while also serving as a critical ingredient to fermentation processes of your favorite fermented foods.”
In the IFIC Spotlight Survey, only 24% of participants knew that sugar could add to food texture, while 21% knew about its purpose for increasing shelf-life and 13% knew about its abetting of fermentation.
Sugar reduction efforts fall short
Earlier this year, figures from Tufts University showed a steep increase in people developing diabetes and heart disease as a direct result of consuming sugar-sweetened drinks. This suggests that current sugar-reduction regulations (known as HFSS for high in fat, salt and sugar) are not having the desired effect. This is not just in the United States, but world-wide.
Sugar-reduction regulations exist in the United Kingdom, US, Mexico, South Africa and the European Union. Yet 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of heart disease occur every year because of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, according to Tufts.
Another study, presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention, and Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions last year suggested that drinking sugary drinks during childhood and adolescence could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And not just sodas but fruit juices, too. In the study of 455 children, regular consumption of 100% fruit juices was linked to a higher type 2 diabetes risk. The impact was significantly higher for boys than girls.
It is important to note that the study did not find that fruit juice consumption caused type 2 diabetes; it showed correlation amongst the relatively small number of study participants.
Consumers, who have known about the sugar content of fruit juices for years now, are not buying less fruit juice because of the results of the study.
According to Statista, the US juices market at supermarkets and convenience stores boasts $86.61 billion in revenue in 2025. At US restaurants and bars, that revenue amounts to a projected $44.47 billion, as of March 2025. The revenue of juice consumed in American homes is expected to grow annually by 4.77%. Meanwhile, the average volume of home juice consumption per person in the US is expected to amount to 4.16 liters in 2025, with a volume growth of 0.4% in 2026.
Several juice manufacturers are meeting consumers in the middle by offering options with less sugar, such as Uncle Matt’s. Likewise, food-tech companies, like Better Juice, are scaling up new sugar reduction solutions that cut the calories, but not the flavor.
Nonetheless, because of consumers’ desire for sugar-rich foods, demand for sugar remains high. This comes as good news for manufacturers, including ones who have reformulated with lower-cost sweeteners, as sugar prices are currently falling.
