Spar Austria has launched a sugar reduction initiative to draw attention to the benefits of lower sugar consumption, the retailer said in a statement.
The aim of the initiative is to promote the removal of excess sugar from products.
Alliances
In developing the initiative, the retailer has partnered with the Austrian Medical Association; the Austrian Obesity Society; the Special Institute for Preventive Cardiology and Nutrition (SIPCAN); the Austrian Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the Austrian Anti-Aging Socety.
It also is partnered with Rauch Fruit Juices and Berglandmilch Dairy Manufacturers.
These alliances hope to encourage all sectors of society to take actions to embrace a reduced-sugar diet.
Sugar Reduction Initiative
“We urgently need efficient measures to reduce sugar consumption in our society," said Gerhard Drexel, CEO, Spar Austria.
"For this reason, we have introduced the sugar reduction initiative in cooperation with physicians and food producers – an alliance that is working to show that a turnaround in sugar consumption is possible," he said.
“In Austria, eight out of ten people currently consume more sugar than World Health Organisation recommendations," said Friedrich Hoppichler, University professor and director of alliance partner, SIPCAN.
"One reason for this is that many consumers are not aware of hidden sugar in the products they buy. To resolve this, both education and concrete industry/trade measures are required," he continued. "If we don’t act today, many people risk becoming overweight or developing diabetes or cardiovascular diseases in the future."
Action Plan
Spar Austria is proposing concrete steps such as sugar reduction targets and expanded educational programmes at schools.
According to the statement, Spar Austria began removing sugar from its own brand products in 2017.
Spar Austria's goal is to remove 1,000 tonnes of sugar from its own brand products by the end of 2020.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Helen Galgey. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
