Nestlé has unveiled new reduced-sugar versions of its Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles and Rowntree’s Randoms products in the UK and Ireland.
The newly-reformulated products contain 30% less sugar, and are also free from artificial flavours, colours and sweeteners. Nestlé said in a statement that the removed sugar has been replaced by increasing the fibre content in the products.
The new launch follows an announcement by Nestlé last month that it is to remove 10% of the sugar across its confectionery portfolio by 2018.
Improving Existing Products
“Our announcement last month was all about improving our existing products while this launch is all about choice," commented Dame Fiona Kendrick, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé UK and Ireland. "These new products will sit alongside our existing range and offer a real alternative for consumers.
"Confectionery can play as much of a part in the efforts to reduce sugar and tackle obesity in the UK and Ireland as any other category and, as we’re demonstrating, we’ll take every opportunity to innovate and reformulate to improve our products."
The launch was preceded by a large-scale blind taste test which saw 9,000 consumers try the new products and offer feedback via social media.
"There have been as many as 76 different versions of the recipe over two years of research and development to ensure that what we have ended up with is just as good as the full sugar products," said Kendrick.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
