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Sugars and Sweeteners - Attitudes and Alternatives duplicate
Leatherhead Food International, Nov 2004, Pages: 225
Despite relatively long-standing concerns about the negative effects of sugar on teeth and the more recent publicity given to the rise in obesity, nearly 60% of consumers in new quantitative research thought that they were eating the correct amount of sugar in their diet. In qualitative research, however, it became apparent that there were considerable levels of concern, but these were by far the most evident among mothers with children, who appeared more concerned about limiting sugar intake for their children than for themselves.
Consumers were aware that processed foods were a major source of sugar in the diet, and felt that the vast choice of convenience foods now available, many of which contained high levels of sugar, meant that they had increased their sugar intake in recent years, despite often having cut down on sugar in tea and coffee and on cereals, etc.
The advantages of artificial sweeteners appeared to be fairly well understood and appreciated and included weight loss and prevention of tooth decay. Qualitative research showed that there were also fairly strong negative perceptions, however, particularly amongst those with children, mainly centred on the fact that they did not understand what sweeteners were made of.
The UK market for reduced-sugar and artificially-sweetened foods and drinks was worth GBP3.6bn in 2004 and the market is dominated by soft drinks, which had sales equivalent to about 80% of total value. Soft drinks also lead in terms of penetration, with reduced-sugar products accounting for 43% of sales across the total carbonates and dilutables markets.
The success of sugar-free and reduced-sugar products in different sectors of the market has not always been a result of particular interest in sugar reduction. Both the soft drinks and chewing gum markets have seen successful reduced-sugar sectors grow up as a response to changing lifestyle trends, with consumers selecting a sugar-free product as a healthy lifestyle alternative, rather than for specific sugar-reduction purposes. It is in these sectors, where little or no trade-off in terms of taste and quality is perceived by the majority of consumers, that the market has found its greatest success.
Conversely, there have been problems associated with the relative lack of interest in reduced-sugar or other healthy lines in sectors with a strong impulse and treat/indulgence image, such as biscuits, cakes, sweets and chocolate. In other sectors, most notably jams, the reduced-sugar market has taken an increasing share, but only in the face of falling sales in the overall market.
In terms of future product trends and developments, a key conclusion from the report is that consumers remain generally positive toward sugar, and either have a fairly negative view of sweeteners, or are concerned that they don’t understand enough about them to assess the long-term health implications, particularly for their children, of using them. As a result it would appear that the interest in reducing sugar levels in the diet would perhaps be better achieved by reduction of overall sweetness and sugar levels in foods, or focusing on natural sweetening, or the development of new ‘natural’ sweeteners where possible, allowing a move away from the term ‘artificial’ and thus negating the adverse consumer perception of the term.
The key objective of this report is to assess the potential for sugar replacement in the UK market by:
- Assessing consumer attitudes to sugar and artificial sweeteners, exploring understanding of the sugar levels in different food and drinks, purchase and consumption of reduced-sugar and artificially sweetened foods and drinks, and usage and awareness of tabletop sweeteners
- Reviewing the retail table-top sweetener market, looking at current and future market, product and industry trends in sugar and tabletop sweeteners
- Analysing end-use market and product trends for key reduced-sugar and artificially-sweetened food and drinks markets
- Reviewing available intense and bulk sweeteners permitted in the EU, with their main applications and extent of use, as well as highlighting sweeteners not yet permitted that may come onto the market in future, for example tagatose.
Research Scope and Definitions
The report looks at the UK market in terms of consumer attitudes, the retail sweeteners market and the major reduced-sugar and artificially-sweetened foods market, but also includes a comparison of the retail sugar and sweeteners market in other regions, notably the major EU markets and the US.
Market data are presented on the UK retail tabletop sweetener market, including:
- Sugar (white granulated, brown, cubes, etc.)
- Intense sweeteners (including tablet and granulated products based on saccharin, aspartame and sucralose)
Within the markets for reduced-sugar and artificially sweetened foods and drinks, the following sectors are covered:
- Soft drinks (carbonates and dilutables)
- Confectionery (sugar-free confectionery and chewing gum)
- Jams and marmalades
- Yoghurts and chilled desserts
- Bakery products (biscuits and cakes).
These were selected because of the presence of sugar-free, reduced-sugar or artificially sweetened products within each sector, although this was only clearly definable in soft drinks, confectionery, jams and marmalades. In the other markets, although some products were reduced-sugar, they tended to be marketed more on a low-fat or general low and light platform, and it was necessary to estimate the likely maximum market size for products using artificial sweeteners.
Information Provided
The Executive Summary pulls together the top-line data from the report, providing an easy-to-use snapshot overview of findings.
The following sections are then included:
Consumer Attitudes to Sugar and Sweeteners
Presents and discusses original consumer research data on UK consumer attitudes to sugar and sweeteners
Retail Market Trends in Sugar and Sweeteners
Reviews trends in the UK retail tabletop sweetener market, covering both sugar and artificial sweeteners. Following an international overview, comparing the UK situation with that in the US and the major EU markets, the UK retail sugar and sweetener markets are analysed in more detail, looking at market sizes and trends, segmentation, product activity and major companies and brands.
Trends in Reduced-Sugar and Artificially Sweetened Foods and Drinks
Analyses the key markets for reduced-sugar and artificially-sweetened foods and drinks in the UK, looking at market and product activity in soft
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