Significant changes in consumer behavior having major impact on demand for high-intensity sweeteners
The high-intensity sweetener (HIS) market is a study in contrasts between Western and Eastern consumers—with one going sour, while the other stays sweet. Although new, natural sweeteners like stevia extract are gaining ground, consumption of high-intensity sweeteners as a class is growing at a negligible rate in North America and Europe, due, in part, to the decline in carbonated soft drink consumption in these regions. In contrast, demand for the entire range of high-intensity sweeteners remains strong in Asia, according to new research from IHS Markit (NASDAQ: INFO), the leading global source of critical information and insight.
“Worldwide consumption of high-intensity sweeteners is largely dependent on production of diet carbonated soft drinks, low-calorie food, and sugar substitutes,” said Marifaith Hackett, director of specialty chemical research at IHS Markit and principal author of the IHS Chemical Economics Handbook - High Intensity Sweeteners Report-2017. “Beverages are the largest end-use for high-intensity sweeteners, followed by food, tabletop sweeteners, personal care products (such as toothpaste), and pharmaceuticals.”