Spar Austria has said that the 'Zucker-Raus' (Sugar Out) initiative, which it developed alongside a number of doctors and food producers, is gaining more and more supporters.
"Through this initiative, we were able to initiate a valuable alliance between retailers, food producers, medical associations and doctors," said Dr. Gerhard Drexel, the CEO of Spar Austria. "This will allow us to increase awareness of the high sugar consumption of society and seek to combat it."
Supportive Companies
Among others, Danone, Nestle, Vöslauer and Privatquelle Gruber have shown their support for the the new alliance.
"The sugar content of [yoghurt brand] FruchtZwerge has gradually been reduced by 37% since its market launch, in order to slowly get consumers used to the new sweet taste", explained Birgit Krampl, the spokeswoman of Danone.
Elsewhere, drinks brand Privatquelle Gruber has reduced the sugar content of its products by one third, while Nestlé has taken measures to reduce sugar as well as salt and fat.
"Increased sugar consumption is clearly linked to diabetes. We have been campaigning for less sugar and sweeteners in food for a long time and therefore support the alliance," said Dr. Alexandra Kautzky Willer, the head of the 'Österreichische Diabetes Gesellschaft' (ÖDG), which also recently joined the initiative.
The WHO recommends a maximum of 18.3 kg of sugar per year, but an average Austrian person still consumes 33.4 kg, according to government statistics.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jana Zimmermann. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
