Goodbye Milkybar Wowsomes: Nestlé scraps reduced-sugar chocolate two years after launch

10 Feb 2020 --- After just two years of being on the UK and Irish markets, Nestlé will no longer make Milkybar Wowsomes, milk and white chocolate boasting 30 percent reduced sugar. The confectionery used a new process that transformed the structure of sugar to create aerated, porous particles of sugar that dissolve more quickly in the mouth. This heightened perceptions of sweetness using less sugar. The announcement comes as a blow to an industry attempting to expand their better-for-you offerings, while under pressure from policymakers and consumers alike.

“Wowsomes were delisted toward the end of last year. So far, they are the only product where we have used our structured sugar technology, but we will continue to consider its use in future products. We are always reviewing and innovating our range of products. We also continue to find new ways to improve our confectionery and reduce sugar without compromising on taste and quality,” a Nestlé spokesperson tells NutritionInsight.

In addition to containing 30 percent less sugar than similar chocolate products, the Wowsomes also contained no artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors or flavorings. They contained crispy oat cereal pieces, with the bars being a gluten-free source of fiber. Available in a range of sizes, the largest bars were 18 g and contained 95 calories.

However, Nestlé’s discontinuation of the line comes as the company promotes its More range, which comes with fruit, nuts and cereal, and contains more protein and fiber than similar chocolate bars. “We are working on some new and exciting products for the future. Our latest 30 percent reduced sugar chocolate is the More range, which encompasses the Raspberry and Hazelnut KitKat Chunky and the Oats, Apple and Cinnamon Yorkie,” explains the spokesperson.

“Whether it is fruit, nuts or oats – or the fiber or protein they provide – this range really does offer more and is our next generation of chocolate bars with 30 percent less sugar. Most importantly, both of them taste fantastic,” said Alex Gonnella, Marketing Director for Nestlé Confectionery in the UK & Ireland, at the time of the More launch.

Nestlé has created a unique chocolate made entirely from the cocoa fruit.Chocolate players continue to reinvent
Chocolate with bolstered health credentials has been a major theme in recent years. At ProSweets 2020, Israeli company Galam used chocolate to showcase fructooligosaccharide (FOS) derived from beet sugar that, apart from gut-health related properties, can offer sweetening power of up to 30 percent.

Nestlé has made moves in this space, creating a unique chocolate made entirely from the cocoa fruit, using only the beans and pulp as an ingredient. Also in the low-sugar confectionery category, Cadbury introduced a 30 percent sugar-reduced Dairy Milk bar last year.

Most recently, Ireland-based Healy Group launched PrimaFi Cocoa, a natural dietary fiber that, when used as a bulking agent, can replace sugar in chocolate by up to 45 percent. Additionally, Cargill has invested US$5 million to expand its sugar reduction capabilities in chocolate.

These moves come as consumers and policymakers alike become increasingly aware of sugar and its risks. Late last year, it was also revealed that sugar consumption in Norway has fallen by more than 1 kg a year since 2000. Additionally, the share of US children and adolescents consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and the calories they consume from them has declined dramatically.

However, there is still a long way to go, considering that the amount of sugar in UK chocolate has fallen by just 0.3 percent between 2015 and 2018, well below Public Health England’s sugar reduction target of 20 percent by 2020.

By Katherine Durrell

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