Consumers Keep Looking for Sugar Alternatives. NewsWire

NewsWire: 11/13/21

• The next generation of sugar replacements is here. As consumers seek to reduce their sugar intake, a growing number of companies are battling it out to become their substitute of choice. (Bloomberg Businessweek)
• NH: It’s no secret that sugar is unhealthy. But the substance is hard to avoid. In the US, 60% of packaged food contains sugar.
• Nevertheless, consumers are still looking to downsize their intake. A global poll by FMCG Gurus found that 79% of global consumers plan to eat healthier over the next year. And 56% of this group plans to do so by cutting down on sugar. Most nutritionists today do indeed regard Americans' high sugar intake as a major contributor to the nation's high prevalence of obesity and chronic disease. (See “Sugar: Unsafe at Any Dose?”)
• Over the decades, many consumers have tried turning to zero- or low-calorie sugar alternatives. These include high-intensity synthetic sweeteners (like aspartame or saccharine); sugar alcohols (like sorbitol, xylitol, or erythritol); and other plant-derived chemicals (like stevia). Unfortunately, these have drawbacks. Some alternatives have been suspected of being carcinogens. Nearly all leave a bitter aftertaste or, in some other respect, just can't match sucrose or fructose in texture, moisture, and caramelization.
• Such drawbacks leave room for new alternatives that do a better job mimicking "the real thing." One is allulose, a low-calorie near-sugar that the FDA now allows manufacturers to add to products with the "added sugar" label. Another is Supplant, a British sugar substitute made from crushed plant waste.
• The most innovative newcomer is Incredo. It’s not really an alternative. Instead, it's normal sucrose which has been “re-engineered” with microscopic silica granules to allow more of the sugar to have contact with the taste buds. (Normally, scientists say, you swallow roughly 80% of the sugar you eat without ever tasting it.) The upshot is that it can deliver two grams of sucrose taste for only one gram of actual sucrose. The drawback--yes, there is always a drawback!--is that it's more expensive, which can be a problem for packaged foods with thin profit margins.
• A major hurdle for these new companies is proving overall safety. Very few studies have been conducted on the products. As a result, most sales come from small specialty stores. Major retailers like Whole Foods are still debating whether to sell these untested brands.
• A bigger question is whether they will do any more than the earlier alternatives to change Americans' sugar consumption habits. I have my doubts. IMO, sugar is a bit like nicotine: It's a lot easier simply to do without it than to titrate down one's level of daily consumption.

Did You Know?

• Watch, Cancel, Repeat. Have you signed up for a streaming service to watch the latest must-see show, only to cancel and resubscribe later to watch something else? More likely than not, you’re a Millennial. According to the latest Deloitte report on digital media trends, 47% of Millennial consumers “churn and return.” That’s compared to 34% of Gen Zers, 25% of Gen Xers, and just 6% of Boomers and 3% of “Matures” (read: Silent). The top reason consumers cancelled a paid streaming service was price, followed by the fact that they finished the show they had signed up to watch. The top reasons cited for resubscribing were that a new season of their favorite show was released, they routinely “churn and return” to manage costs, or they were offered a free or discounted rate. Increasing “stickiness” among younger consumers is one of the main reasons why streaming services—most notably, Netflix—are expanding into video games.