Global concerns over obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease will usher in the new year’s health and wellness initiatives. Consumers will engage in the annual effort to seek out food and beverage choices with more moderate amounts of nutritive sweeteners (i.e., sucrose and fructose), lower amounts of “undesirable” fats, and fewer calories. 

Replacing sugar is more complex than simply replacing sweetness. Sugar carries flavor, enhances mouthfeel, provides bulk, is essential for browning through the Maillard reaction with amino acids, and attracts and retains moisture. In cookies and biscuits, for example, sugar interfaces with flour and fat to affect texture, firmness and spread. Without sugar, products may not crystallize properly, aerate, or set. 

Goalz Chocolate is low-carb, vegan and made from three simple ingredients: cocoa beans, prebiotic fiber and allulose. Goalz Chocolate doesn’t contain oils, preservatives, fillers, soy lecithin or anything artificial.

Tate & Lyle used this year’s SupplySide West 2022 to showcase ingredient innovation, its formulation expertise, and commitment to making food healthier and tastier.  

Consumer research shows that sugar reduction messaging is reaching consumers. In the 2020 Health and Nutrition Survey, at least half of consumers surveyed reported cutting back, limiting, or avoiding sugar to prevent conditions such as diabetes or to lose or manage their weight.

Tate & Lyle, a leading global provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions, invites Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) FIRST attendees to experience its full suite of ingredients and solutions by visiting the Interactive Kitchen experience located at booth #S-0600.

In the United States, specifically, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 call for consumers to “limit foods and beverages higher in added sugars” to less than 10% of daily calories. Research shows the top sources of added sugars in the US diet include sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts and sweet snacks, sweetened coffee and tea, and candy.

Prepared Foods’ David Feder interviews sweetener scientist and research chef Alexa Bosshardt, MS, RDN on the hot trending near-zero-calorie sweetener allulose. Could this natural sugar be the “Holy Grail” of sweeteners?

Cocomels, makers of the original coconut milk caramel, expanding its line of <1g sugar line with the launch of <1g Sugar Chocolate-Covered Sea Salt and Crispy Bites with less than 1g of sugar and 100 calories per serving.

In 2022, Americans will broaden their horizons in search of more effective ways to manage their stress, whether it be their pursuit of micronutrients like B vitamins and magnesium or macronutrients like whole grains and protein. CBD-infused foods will also move even closer to center stage.