Dive Brief:
- Tate & Lyle Sugars has introduced sucralose to its portfolio of sweeteners. The ingredient will “deliver sweetness with no compromise in quality or taste and are aspartame-free,” the company said.
- The new sweetener will have 70% of the sweetness of sucrose and help the company meet demand for low-calorie sugar options, according to the announcement.
- The sucralose sweetener launch into the retail market also marks the start of a transition phase for the company, which recently rebranded from Zucro.
Dive Insight:
The British ingredients brand says the new sweetener can easily dissolve in hot drinks, and has a similar texture to sugar and offers consumers an alternative to aspartame, which has been declared a potential carcinogen by global health bodies.
“Our sucralose sweeteners deliver sweetness with no compromise in quality or taste, are aspartame-free and packaged within recyclable material,” the company said.
Organizations like the FDA and WHO have cracked down on the use of aspartame, another low calorie sweetener that has been used for decades in popular products like Diet Coke. The FTC cracked down on influencers earlier this month who were promoting the ingredient’s safety.
Sucralose is made from sugar through a multi-step manufacturing process, which allows it to have zero calories and be 600 times sweeter than sucrose.
Like aspartame, though, it too has risks. The sweetener has the potential to kill probiotics in the gut and can cause mild to severe digestive issues, but only if consumed in large amounts. The ingredient has been approved by the FDA, WHO, European Commission and European Food Safety Authority.
“As sugar innovators since 1878, we understand everything there is to know about creating the perfect sweetness for your coffee, or sprinkling on your cereal and desserts,” marketing manager for Tate & Lyle Sugars Sandra Gonilho said in a statement. “With our British heritage and knowledge, we hope consumers can feel confident about making balanced choices and enjoy the control using sweetener offers, at home, on the go and when making a food service purchase.”
The demand for natural sweeteners in North America has grown in recent years, mainly due to a focus on healthy food. As consumers recognize the harmful effects of excessive sugar consumption, more opportunities for low-calorie sweeteners have been created, especially in beverage and bakery consumption, according to a report from Mordor Intelligence. The global alternative sweetener market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.3% from 2020 to 2025.
Tate and Lyle Sugars has part of the ASR group — the largest vertically integrated cane sugar producer in the world — since the 2010 acquisition. The purchase moved Tate and Lyle Sugars’ operations to plants in North America, Central America and Europe.