Ingredion on the rise of sugar reduction and industry response

Growing concerns and research around sugary foods’ adverse health effects are driving the nutrition industry to innovate, reformulate, and meet consumer expectations for taste and health benefits. Ingredion observes a rising global demand for reduced- or sugar-free products as consumers actively seek healthier products that fit a balanced diet.

Nutrition Insight discusses consumer demand for healthy foods with clean ingredients and reformulation challenges with Nate Yates, VP and general manager at Ingredion for Sugar Reduction and CEO of PureCircle, the company’s stevia flavor modifiers and sweeteners portfolio. 

“Sugar reduction is a key global trend,” says Yates. “Across different regions, consumers prioritize health benefits, and sugar reduction plays a major role in healthy eating and drinking.”

He details Ingredion’s proprietary consumer research, which found that around 70% of global consumers actively seek reduced-sugar products. “Many are even willing to pay more for them, especially if there are added functional health benefits.”

“But it’s not just about health,” cautions Yates. “Consumers still want the same enjoyable eating and drinking experience they’ve had with full-sugar products they are used to or have grown up with. Their expectations are high.”

Catering to an informed consumer

Yates notes that product labeling is critical for governments to inform consumers and help them make healthier choices. 

“While labeling systems vary by country and can be influenced by politics, the more we can educate consumers on what is in a product, the better off they are in making choices — this goes back to them generally seeking healthier foods.” 

He adds: “Claims such as ‘no added sugar,’ ‘reduced sugar,’ or ‘zero sugar,’ consistently positively impact how consumers perceive a product.”

At the same time, scientific studies also link high-sugar diets to various health risks. For example, researchers caution that diets high in fat and sugar can impair brain function, and scientists claim that high sugar and salt diets in Brazil are the primary causes for stomach cancer risk. 

In a recent interview, Yates highlighted how Ingredion can support companies aiming to reformulate products to reduce sugar content.Yates notes that consumers are also becoming more aware and informed. 

“Some, for the first time, are reading labels and thinking critically about what they eat or drink. At the same time, they’re bombarded with mixed messages and misinformation online. Brands aiming to reformulate a product must consider all these variables.” 

Especially reformulating established products is a complex process, he adds. Brands must balance many variables, such as nutritional profile and claims, while ensuring products still have the same taste, texture, and mouthfeel consumers expect. 

Clean label demand

Across nearly all geographies, consumers want great-tasting foods made with simple, recognizable ingredients, says Yates. 

“Although definitions of simple ingredients will continue to evolve, we believe consumers look for clean label offerings that bring that healthier proposition and great taste.” 

“With stevia, for example, we’re working with a sweetener that comes from a leaf — that naturally resonates with consumers looking for simpler solutions,” he adds. “This has appealed to consumers, and we think that will continue to grow.” 

Yates details that, according to Ingredion’s proprietary Atlas study, North American consumers are more accepting of stevia than artificial sweeteners, primarily because of its “simple ingredient” perception among consumers. 

Yates says that product claims like “no added sugar,” “reduced sugar,” or “zero sugar,” positively impact how consumers perceive a product.“Stevia will continue to play a major role, but we’re also seeing the lines blur between natural and artificial sweeteners. That’s driven by cost and performance — some combinations yield better results than just one type of sweetener.”

Growing acceptance of reduced-sugar nutrition

In a recent study across Europe, South America, Latin America, India, and the US, Ingredion tested different sweetened drinks among consumers using blind taste tests. 

“We found that consumers preferred beverages sweetened with a combination of sweeteners over those with a single one,” says Yates. 

“Surprisingly, many even preferred 50% reduced-sugar drinks over full-sugar versions. That shows consumers are becoming more generally accepting of reduced-sugar products, which reinforces the demand we’re seeing globally.”

He adds that Ingredion’s research also found that consumers increasingly accept blends. “These multi-sweetener solutions often perform better in blind taste tests and will be key to the future — we expect an accelerated evolution of these blends.”

Speeding up reformulation

Ingredion’s 2023 proprietary research indicates that 90% of food and beverage manufacturers prioritized sugar reduction in the next five years. 

To help brands reformulate products to meet consumer demand, Ingredion has developed a line of clean taste solutions.To help brands reformulate products to meet consumer demand, Ingredion has developed a line of clean taste solutions within its stevia portfolio. Yates says these are cost- and taste-optimized for specific applications. They are designed based on Ingredion’s mapping of the stevia genome, which allows the company to determine how individual molecules contribute to taste. 

He also highlights the importance of rebuilding texture in reformulated products to maintain the right eating experience, as reducing sugar removes bulk. “It’s key to get sweetness and texture right.”

Ingredion offers ready-to-use models to help manufacturers increase reformulation speed; these can be adapted to different variables like taste, texture, nutrition, and label claims.

“But brand owners know their products best,” he adds. “So we bring the starting point and iterate with them, based on their feedback. Understanding consumer preferences worldwide and formulation nuances are critical to starting this complex process.” 

While the company’s “sweetener toolbox” has expanded significantly over the past five to ten  years, Yates says the company is “just getting started.” For example, he notes that precision fermentation may unlock even more molecules. 

“We’re far from the peak — there’s still much more innovation to come.”