Sugar-reduced-chocolates UK Sugar Guidelines
Sugar-reduced-chocolates UK Sugar Guidelines
The war on sugar - Public Health England tackle childhood obesity
The Public Health England (PHE) governing body has set high demands in the UK, cutting sugar from the diet of the population to tackle high rates of diabetes and obesity. With growing concerns of children consuming and exceeding their recommended daily intake of sugar, deadlines have been set by the government.
With the initial target of 5% sugar reduction for 2018, which was achieved through the food industry by portion control, PHE has now set a more ambitious target of 20% sugar reduction by 2020.
This has now set a challenge for the food industry to achieve.
Chocolate confectionery and bakery are the next target
PHE initially started tackling the soft drinks market, especially carbonated drinks high in sugar. This was a quick fix to replace the sugar with alternative sweeteners, reducing the sugar content and the majority of calories.
Now the focus has moved towards food, mainly confectionery and baked goods. With sugar being a key ingredient in these markets, it’s been challenging to solve this issue without compromising on taste and texture. Many companies are capitalizing on the growth of snacking trends, enabling to offer portion control in their
Cadbury Dairy Milk with 30% Less Sugar
Maryland Sugar Free Cookies
product portfolio. Thus keeping the same product a customer consumes, but with less total sugar.
Others have reformulated their recipes to meet the demands of PHE and health-conscious consumers looking for better options in their life. We’ve seen iconic brands go above and beyond the requirements of PHE, Mondelez launching a 30% sugar reduced version of their Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar and Burtons launching a Sugar-Free Maryland Cookie range.
Maryland Cookies - Sugar-Free
Sugar reduced innovations for chocolate confectionery
Barry Callebaut have launched a range of ‘Sweet Solution’ Chocolates to meet the growing demand from healthier consumers. Ensuring that we work within the boundaries of chocolate, there has been a range of four different polyol-free recipes. A milk & dark with stevia, and a milk & dark with 1% sugar to meet the EU regulations of chocolate.
The benefits of this chocolate range go further than just sugar reduction. Using the exclusive chicory root fibres provided by Barry Callebaut, brings a high fibre claim to the mix, as well as opportunities to touch on the natural prebiotics found within these fibres.
