Fruit purees may offer a viable strategy for clearing US FDA’s new “added sugar” label “hurdle”

05 Jun 2019 --- Fruit purees may be a viable solution for US food companies rethinking their product formulation due to the soon-to-be implemented US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules on the declaration of “added sugars” on food labels. This is according to Welch’s Global Ingredients Group, which is highlighting its portfolio as a feasible solution. The FDA introduced the new Nutrition Facts labeling regulations in 2016, and the compliance date of January 1, 2020, for larger companies, and 2021 for smaller businesses, is looming.

In addition to clearly indicating added sugar in products, companies must indicate the total sugars on the nutrition facts panel of products. The change is already forcing businesses to re-think how they formulate their products, in order to avoid the negative perception associated with added sugar, says Welch’s Global Ingredients Group. Purees present a “simple solution,” says the juice specialist, as they are not outlined in the definition of added sugar and, therefore, the fruit sugars naturally present in purees only need to be included in the total sugars declaration.

“Purees deliver natural sweetness, but their sugar content isn’t considered to be added sugar by the FDA,” says Kevin Kilcoyne, VP & General Manager at Welch’s Global Ingredients Group. “This means they offer a good option for food companies who prefer not to see added sugar on their nutrition facts panels or wish to minimize the amount of added sugars they are obliged to declare.”

Manufacturers will still be able to use fruit juice concentrates or powders. However, they will need to declare some of the sugar contributed by these ingredients as added sugar, depending on the final application. FDA regulations maintain a portion of added sugar from syrups and sugar from concentrated fruit or vegetable juice – in excess of what would normally be found in the equivalent volume of 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice of the same type – must be labeled accordingly. The calculations involved in establishing this often need to be carried out manually – a cumbersome and costly process. Using purees and puree concentrates could provide a new avenue for companies to avoid this extra burden.

While the new regulations indeed present a hurdle to overcome, they may bring health benefits. The sugar labeling could prevent or postpone nearly 1 million cases of cardiometabolic disease, including heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes, over a 20 year period, according to a study published in Circulation.

The tighter restrictions are also opening doors for innovative opportunities in fruit-based solutions. Earlier this year, Israel-based Gatfoods launched Fruitlift, a fruit-based liquid solution created for the replacement of refined sugars in ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals. The sugar-alternative is marketed as an all-natural ingredient, comprised of 90 percent fruit components and designed to be injected into the flour mix of puffed cereals to replace white refined sugar.

Last April, the US FDA announced that it will allow allulose, a “low-calorie” sweetener, to be excluded from total and added sugars counts on Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels when used as an ingredient.

Monk fruit is also becoming a front-runner in the fruit-based sweetener race. This is according to Layn Natural Ingredients, a supplier of plant-based sweeteners and functional botanical extracts. Layn’s newly launched Lovia platform combines monk fruit mogrosides with specific steviol glycosides to enable more profound sugar reduction with a sugar-like taste. 

Welch’s supplies Concord grape puree (purple in color) and Niagara grape puree (golden in color), produced from fruit grown in the US. The purees are marketed as non-GMO, gluten-free, and available as organic. The brand maintains that its fruit purees are suitable for use in a wide range of applications, including confectionery, baking, snacks, sauces, cereals and baby food.