The health and wellness trend has sweeteners top of mind for consumers. In an effort to moderate their caloric intake, consumers are surveying products and purchasing according to their personal priorities. Many have embraced more naturally positioned products, which in some instances can be higher calorie sugar-sweetened products that shoppers consider to be healthier alternatives to artificial sweeteners, Mintel International Group reported in a January webinar on “Sweeteners and Sugar.”
“Many consumers are ‘swapping calories’ from the traditional nutritive beverages to more non-nutritive offerings thus causing a subsequent impact for the relative sweetness requirements in beverage formulations,” says Mary Lynne Shafer, manager of beverage strategy and business development for Corn Products International, Decatur, Ill. “Another key trend is the aging population, which is driving consumers to look for more balanced health offerings in their diet, i.e. good for you, low calorie, reduced sugar, etc., and having the right sweetness choice for beverage manufacturers provides them the opportunity to tailor their brand offerings meeting these consumer needs.”