Food brands start limiting sugar as consumers grow more wary
Food marketers are removing sugar as consumers grow wary.
Attitudes about added sweeteners have continued to evolve since The New York Times Magazine published a cover story titled “Is Sugar Toxic?” in April 2011. While a judge recently rejected Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on the sale of extra-large sugary sodas in New York City, the headlines likely helped boost a rising sense of caution among consumers when it comes to sugar. A recent USA Today/NPD Group study shows American children already eat far fewer sweets than they did 15 years ago.
Food marketers are taking note. Last year, PepsiCo launched low-calorie cola Pepsi Next, which has 60 percent less sugar than regular Pepsi; in late July, Coca-Cola introduced a slimmer can in the U.K., reducing sugar per serving size. Sugar manufacturer Domino Foods now offers a product that combines sugar and the sweetener stevia. Tic Gums is developing a low-fat salad dressing that doesn’t rely on added sugar, among other products.
Meanwhile, a counter-argument to the junk-food naysayers argues that demonizing processed food causes more harm than good, as a recent article in The Atlantic puts it, noting that quick-serve restaurants and packaged-food purveyors have more power to change consumers’ sugar addiction than niche brands. At least one iconic brand is embracing the counter-trend: Hostess, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2012 and has since reorganized, recently re-launched its Twinkies snack cakes.