42% of adults specifically look for “sugar” on nutritional labels, which is 2.2% higher than in 2006. These are the findings of a 2016 study conducted by the NDP Group, and they can be largely attributed to a slew of new reports cautioning consumers against high-sugar diets as they can lead to diabetes, obesity and even cancer.
Confronted with this troubling information, people are feeling compelled to make drastic changes to their eating habits, and while this shift in the consumer mindset has been underway for some time, one new question is raised: how is the industry responding to this indisputably massive trend?
One major development, set forth by the Food & Drug Administration, will make dietary information more readily available to consumers. By 2019, all food and drink manufacturers will be required to comply with an updated nutrition facts label that will explicitly highlight the daily value of added sugars. These guidelines will make calories and sugar content quicker to find, which will in turn make it easier for consumers to make better-informed food choices.
Of course, even without these new labels in place, consumers know that many of their favorite products contain outrageous amounts of sugar and are actively searching for healthy alternatives. However, to their frustration, the sugar-free options available to them through their local retailers often lack the sweet flavors and rich textures that they’ve become accustomed to, forcing them to decide what matters more: taste or health?
To gain some competitive edge, many food and drink brands are taking steps to reformulate their recipes by replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners instead. These zero-sugar solutions answer their problem to an extent, but their name describes exactly how they taste: artificial, deterring many consumers and souring their brand reputations. Additionally, these sweeteners are made with chemicals that can be just as harmful to the body as sugar itself — a fact that the media has made sure to circulate.
With fear building around these chemical-based alternatives, brands that are truly paying attention are taking new and different measures to achieve sugar-free formulations, turning to stevia brands like Pyure for help. Pyure Organic Stevia offers a suite of organic, plant-based, zero-calorie sugar substitutes to consumers and retailers alike. Widely preferred over competing stevia brands for its zero-calorie, zero-sugar, chemical-free formula, Pyure is made from USDA organic, non-GMO stevia plants, and is up to 350 times sweeter than regular table sugar.
As more reports are published detailing the effects of sugar on our health, consumers’ negative attitude toward sugar is only expected to grow, forcing brands to scramble to make changes to their formulas. Thankfully, brands like Pyure are helping food and drink products offer options that are not only healthy, but quite delicious too.