Consumption of sugar and sweeteners is set to decline by 2020 as consumers turn their back on 'one of the most vilified ingredients within food', leading the way for a surge in alternative sugars and sweeteners, according to research from Euromonitor International.
Daily consumption of sugar is high in the US, UK and Germany, three of the top 10 countries who spend the most on packaged food.
These countries consume 73.3 grams of sugar per day in such products, nearly double the international average.
In the UK, the volume of sugar and sweeteners was 406,200 tonnes in 2016; a drop of nearly 5% from the year before (426,500 tonnes). Between 2015 and 2020, the company has predicted an overall 2% slump in the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the total volume.
At the same time, the CAGR volume consumption of dextrose (+3.6%), xylitol (+1.6), and Stevia (+7%) is expected to increase between 2015 and 2020.
But replacing natural sugar with a sweet alternative isn't always successful.
In the soft drink industry, using natural sugars or sweeteners such as Stevia has received an 'ambivalent' response. One such example is Coca-Cola's Sprite brand, who has seen its sales decline since it rejigged its recipe.
'The problem of relying on sugary products in a period where sugar is a public enemy will prove tricky for manufacturers to resolve,' the research firm said.
'Reducing sugar proportions within products will be more difficult than simply reducing the size of the product, as in the case of calorie consumption.'
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
