Guide to the Challenges and Opportunities of Reducing Sugar Made Available to UK Companies

05 Aug 2016 --- The British UK Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is lending a hand to small producers who want to reduce sugar content but don’t know where to start.

More consumers than ever before are looking to reduce sugar in their diets which has prompted the FDF to publish a free reformulation guide for small and medium sized companies, which was developed by Leatherhead Food Research.

It shows businesses how to take the first steps towards reducing sugars and sets out the regulatory framework covering the reduction of sugars, key consideration when reducing sugars or using sugar replacers and factors affecting the consumer acceptability of sugar replacers.

The guide also details the variety of challenges and opportunities there are for companies to reduce sugars in the soft drinks, dairy and baked goods categories. In addition it talks about ingredients and labeling considerations.

Whilst consumer demand for a reduction in sugar is driving the market and leading to changes to business models amongst global food companies, sugars remain an essential ingredients in many foods and drinks, typically providing multiple functions in a recipe. For instance, sugars add color, sweetness, enhance other flavors, provide texture and bulk and improve shelf-life quality by inhibiting bacterial growth.

These types of functions vary depending on the product and have to be looked at when adapting an individual recipe. In some products sugars are used to make fiber, wholemeal or bran more palatable, for instance.

Jenny Arthur, Head of nutrition and product development at Leatherhead Food Research, said: “Reformulating products is a challenging task, as sugars are multifunctional ingredients delivering a variety of roles in different products. We hope this guide will give companies practical advice to help them create products with an overall reduction in sugars, while still delivering on taste, texture and mouthfeel.”

Meanwhile, FDF Director General Ian Wright, says sugar reduction can be testing for companies.

“Our member companies are constantly innovating to meet the demand from shoppers and consumers for great tasting, nutritious and affordable foods and drinks. Sugars reduction is a major focus as consumers look increasingly closely at the sugars in their diets. This presents both challenges and opportunities. Recipe changes need to pass the consumer acceptance test to be successful, lasting and beneficial to consumer health.”

“FDF is committed to giving our members - particularly small and medium sized businesses without large R&D resources - the help they need to reformulate their products successfully.”