Tate & Lyle sees “white space” as metabolic health enters mainstream F&B

Food and beverage manufacturers are moving beyond sugar reduction toward a more multifaceted reformulation brief, creating opportunities for ingredients that can simultaneously address sugar and carbohydrate content, fiber enrichment, calories, and product functionality, according to Tate & Lyle. 

The ingredient supplier’s new report, Future-Proofing Nutrition: Designing Products for Lifelong Metabolic Wellness, argues that growing consumer interest in metabolic health is changing how manufacturers approach healthier product development. 

For the mainstream F&B sector, the shift is significant because it moves reformulation away from a single target — such as removing sugar — and toward products that can offer consumers positive nutritional attributes, while still delivering on taste, texture, and eating experience. 

“In practical terms, the move from sugar reduction toward broader metabolic health means consumers are looking beyond sugar content alone on a label. Carbohydrate, fiber, and protein content are all coming into consideration as consumers seek steady energy and look to avoid glycemic spikes,” Emma Cahill, global marketing director for sweeteners, fibers, and GLP-1 at Tate & Lyle, tells Food Ingredients First.

“For ingredient selection and product development, this means not only focusing on taking sugar out but also looking at how functional ingredients can be added to deliver further consumer benefits.”

Reformulation moves beyond subtraction

Emma Cahill, global marketing director for sweeteners, fibers, and GLP-1 at Tate & Lyle.The development could favor multifunctional ingredient solutions, as manufacturers increasingly seek to make nutritional improvements without creating additional formulation compromises.

Sugar, for example, is not only a source of sweetness. Depending on the application, it can contribute to bulk, texture, viscosity, moisture management, browning, and the overall eating experience. Reducing it can therefore create a series of technical problems that need to be addressed elsewhere in a formulation.

At the same time, manufacturers are contending with regulatory and retailer pressure to improve nutritional profiles, including measures targeting products high in fat, sugar, or salt, alongside sugar reduction initiatives.

Cahill says consumer priorities are also changing.

“I’ve heard consumers use phrases such as ‘steady energy’ and avoiding ‘sugar crashes and cravings’ when describing metabolic health in their own words. From our research, consumers tend to look for positives first, such as added fiber and protein, before checking that sugar, calories, and carbohydrates are at an acceptable level for them.”

“That marks a shift from the past, when sugar and calories were more likely to be top of mind and enough on their own to drive consumer interest.”

That change presents an ingredient opportunity for manufacturers to combine reduction with enrichment. Rather than simply removing ingredients perceived as undesirable, formulators can potentially replace them with an ingredient that contributes to a more positive product positioning.

Soluble fiber targets multiple formulation goals

Tate & Lyle identifies soluble fiber as one such opportunity, positioning it as a tool that can help manufacturers address fiber enrichment, sugar reduction, carbohydrate content, and calorie reduction within the same reformulation project.

“Replacing carbohydrates and sugars with soluble fiber is a great multi-benefit formulation opportunity. It can reduce total calories in a formulation, as well as the sugar and carbohydrate content,” says Cahill.

The report looks at applications across bakery, dairy, beverages, and confectionery, although the formulation requirements and role played by sugar vary substantially between categories.

For ingredient suppliers, this increases the importance of application expertise. Adding fiber or replacing sugar can affect sweetness, body, mouthfeel, viscosity, texture, processing behavior, and finished product stability. As a result, manufacturers may need to consider the wider ingredient system rather than approach soluble fiber as a straightforward one-for-one substitution.GLP-1 awareness is helping bring metabolic health concepts into mainstream F&B conversations.

There may also be an opportunity to translate these technical changes into more compelling front-of-pack communication.

“If you replace sugars at a high enough level to enable a reduced sugar claim, meaning at least a 30% reduction, you can even use a rare on-pack positive nutrition or health benefit claim in Europe that infers metabolic health support to consumers,” Cahill explains.

“The wording in the legislation is pretty clunky, but I’d love to see it brought to life in more consumer-friendly language. It reads: ‘Consumption of foods/drinks containing PROMITOR Soluble Fiber instead of sugars induces a lower blood glucose rise after their consumption compared to sugar-containing foods/drinks.’”

“The idea of a lower blood glucose rise after consumption is language that metabolic health seekers are increasingly learning to understand.”

GLP-1 conversation filters into mainstream F&B

Cahill sees the surge in consumer awareness surrounding GLP-1 medications as an important catalyst behind the broader metabolic health conversation — even among consumers who are not using the medications.

“I credit the constant news coverage of GLP-1 medications and their mode of action with this increased consumer awareness of blood glucose management. For those less familiar with them, GLP-1 medications started as a treatment for diabetes and gained further popularity because of the side effect of reduced appetite leading to weight loss.”

“One interesting market effect of the GLP-1 boom is that it has unintentionally given consumers a basic education in metabolic health, particularly around the relationship between blood glucose, satiety, and appetite regulation.”

That awareness could have implications well beyond products specifically developed for people taking GLP-1 medications. Instead, concepts entering the mainstream through the GLP-1 discussion may influence how a broader group of shoppers evaluates F&B products.

Soluble fiber can support multiple reformulation goals, including lower sugar, fewer carbohydrates, and added fiber.“The widespread discussion of drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound has introduced consumers to ideas such as blood sugar spikes and crashes, insulin response, satiety signaling, gut-brain communication, slower gastric emptying, and food cravings being partly physiological rather than purely behavioral,” says Cahill.

“The translation in consumers’ minds is that when blood glucose is more stable, appetite tends to be easier to manage. I’ve heard consumers describe this as ‘metabolic health hacking.’”

Fiber and protein gain ground

For mainstream brands, one of the most tangible commercial consequences may be growing interest in products that combine familiar reduction messages with ingredients consumers increasingly perceive positively.

“The rise of GLP-1 medications has shifted the conversation about appetite from willpower to biology. As consumers learn that blood glucose regulation, gut hormones, and satiety signals all influence hunger, they are becoming more aware that managing appetite starts long before a craving occurs,” says Cahill.

“This emerging understanding creates greater appreciation for nutritional solutions, including fiber and protein, that help support steadier glucose responses and sustained fullness throughout the day.”

“In terms of actual demand, we see this connected to growing interest in protein- and fiber-fortified foods, as well as products with lower sugar and carbohydrate content.”

The trend could encourage manufacturers to think about metabolic health less as a niche functional-food proposition and more as another influence on the formulation of everyday products.

Cahill notes that the US market is already providing some clues about how brands could communicate this positioning.

“In the US, we see ‘GLP-1 friendly’ claims acting as a landmark that consumers can then use to dig deeper and understand what benefit a product offers them. Admittedly, this is in a world where claims such as gut health, cognitive health, bone health, and prebiotic are much more prevalent because of local regulations.”

However, she believes there remains substantial room for brands to develop a clearer consumer-facing proposition around metabolic health.

“The trend is widely observable in consumer conversations and purchase intent behaviors based on nutritional content and ingredients. I have yet to see a brand position boldly around metabolic health in consumer-friendly language, and I can’t wait to see someone take ownership of that white space and show us what great looks like.”