By Kathy Groves, Head of Microscopy, Leatherhead Food Research
Soluble dietary fibers, dextrins and added vanilla can help manufacturers cut sugar beyond reducing portion size, writes Leatherhead Food Research’s head of microscopy.
Chocolate spreads and jams contain huge amounts of sugar, with two slices of bread containing the entire maximum daily intake - but some experts have questioned whether the quantities eaten are large enough to contribute to obesity
The world is getting fatter and unhealthier - are smaller portions and diet drinks really going to help when they sit next to full-sugar, supersized products? Is it time to tax or is industry doing enough? Catch the highlights from our live debate.
A 20% sugar cut across all food categories by 2020 – as per voluntary targets set by the UK government – is not technically possible, nor would it be acceptable to consumers, industry lobby the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has said.
Nestlé has pledged to remove at least 18,000 tonnes of sugar from products in its European portfolio by 2020, equivalent to a 5% reduction of current levels.
Döhler has launched a range of gummies and jellies based on 100% ingredients from fruit such as pectin from apple, juice concentrate, and fruit sugars instead of sucrose or glucose syrup.
Belorussian confectioner Kommunarka is reusing its ‘sweet water’ - water used to rinse production lines which contains traces of sugar and sweeteners - to make fruit fillings for its chocolates, opening up a whole new business plan, it says.
Belgian Sweets Design, Döhler, Schur Flexibles, Fuji Packaging, GNT, Haas, Knobel, Loesch, Sopp Industrie, VEMAG, Wacker and Rudolf Wild are just some of the companies exhibiting at ProSweets Cologne 2017 (January 29-February 1).
Sugar reduction specialist DouxMatok is in advanced talks with multinational food manufacturers and says its patented flavour-carrying particle will be on shelves in Europe by 2018.
Confectionery manufacturers can expect an increased supply of sugar at reduced prices once the European Union lifts sugar production quotas later this year.
Confectionery may be spared from a category specific tax in Europe, but it remains threatened by added sugar taxes levied on all food and drinks, writes ConfectioneryNews editor Oliver Nieburg.
A coalition of major food industry bodies have made a pact with the Norwegian government to help improve public health by reducing high fat, sugary and salty foods (HFFS).
Consumers appear to becoming more sophisticated and specific about which ingredients or characteristics they find most troublesome in packaged foods and beverages, new research from CivicScience suggests.
The “war on sugar” has dented demand of sweet snacks as 47% of global consumers look for foods with limited or no added sugar, according to a recent survey by Euromonitor.
Sugar taxes show evidence of working across all socioeconomic classes while stealth reformulation’s effect on obesity is largely anecdotal, says Professor Barry Popkin.
Sustainability in sugar has been side lined by the health debate, but the confectionery industry is a heavy user and must now decide whether it will support cane growers in the developing world, says Bonsucro.
Sonoma Brands could have its work cut out entering everyday snacking with marshmallows given the sticky problem of sugar avoidance, but SMASHMALLOW is an innovative new concept that could appeal strongly to women, say two trendwatchers.
As the public health war against sugar consumption in the US continues to build, food and beverage manufacturer Snapfit hopes to keep chocolate out of the crossfire by offering a sugar-free option that also is natural.
Sugar alternatives may actually increase an individual’s appetite for real sugar by interfering with the way glucose is used in the body, a study has found.
The discovery of ‘gut enzymes’ in sweet taste receptors on the tongue could point industry towards a new route in the development of non-caloric sweeteners, say those behind the research.
Tiana Fair Trade Organic's claims that its coconut nectar is a “guilt free sugar substitute” are in breach of regulations, the British advertising authority has ruled.
The Diabetes Association of Thailand has taken a shocking approach in its latest awareness campaign by using images of confectionery to create a frightful picture of infections and festering wounds on limbs.
Confectionery could be the next target for national sugar taxes after the UK’s levy on sugared soft drinks, but the industry still has time to act to thwart levies, writes ConfectioneryNews editor Oliver Nieburg.
The focus on sugar intensified yesterday with news of a tax on soft drinks in the UK. But assuming a shift to low or no-sugar foods and drinks will lead to a boost in low-calorie speciality sweeteners is probably wide of the mark, unless they are natural.
Japanese researchers have devised a method to make one of the sweetest natural sweeteners even sweeter in a development that will be seen as a breakthrough at a time when consumers are moving away from sugar.
Manufacturer Innocent Chocolate – whose products are said to have less impact on blood sugar than standard chocolate - is set to extend its range with new lines including chocolate chips and a spread.
Stevia price wars, a desire for natural sweeteners and a ‘mega boom’ of sugar production when EU sugar quotas come to an end feature among Technavio’s predictions for Europe’s sugar and sweetener market. “It’s a good future for the European sweetener...
Boston-based McCrea’s Candies has begun selling its products on the West Coast for the first time after flagship brand Black Lava Sea Salt Caramel bagged the Good Foods Awards’ confectionery category this month.
KitKat maker Nestlé reports progress in reducing sugar across its confectionery portfolio but won’t reformulate to a lower threshold until sugar’s link to obesity and type 2 diabetes is substantiated.
Publicity at the expense of accuracy - this is how AB Sugar has described a recently published report which makes claims of forced labour, health and safety violations and illegal land grabs – among other unsustainable practices – in one of its subsidiaries.
UK government agency Public Health England has launched a smartphone app enabling consumers to scan the barcode on products to discover their sugar content in ‘cubes’ and grams.
Lotus Bakeries has revealed ambitions to become an international ‘category captain’ in healthy snacking after acquiring UK business Urban Fresh Foods, producer of Bear fruit snacks and cereals.
US confectioners should ready themselves to declare percentage daily values for added sugars set at 10% of total calorie intake, which could be a regulatory requirement by 2018, says a consultant for the Sweetener Users Association.
Food manufacturers remain sharply divided over FDA proposals to crack down on added sugar, with General Mills and other big names such as Kellogg and Unilever strongly opposed; and Nestlé, Mars, and KIND LLC in favor, according to the latest wave of comments...
"No single action will be effective in reducing sugar intakes," concludes Public Health England's report which recommends cutting price promotions, junk food advertising and setting a sugar tax. We look at some reactions to the findings.
The recent finalization of the Trans Pacific Partnership is good news for confectioners and sugar-using manufacturers across the US, according to Rick Pasco, president of Sweetener Users Association (SUA).
