Sugar consumption in decline

UK consumers are buying less sugar in their take-home shopping compared to last year, according to new research, partly due to consumer concern about sugar impacting sales of biscuits and chocolate.

In a report entitled The Serious Business of Health, Kantar Worldpanel says that after years of focusing on salt and fat reduction, the UK government has now committed to reducing consumers’ sugar intake. And the investment is partly paying off, the research company notes that almost two thirds of UK households (62%) say they are very or fairly concerned about sugar consumption, higher than any other nutrient and up 41% on last year.

With health a growing reason for consumer purchases, retailers are adapting to these preferences by removing sweets from checkout lanes and reformulating their products.

Overall, consumers are buying less sugar in their take-home shopping, down 1.8% in the past year, Kantar says, with three key reasons for this decline.

They include the fact that there has been a long-term fall in volume sales of packet sugar, as well as consumer concern about sugar impacting sales of categories such as biscuits and chocolate. In addition, average sugar content has declined in markets including soft drinks, where ‘diet’ and low-fat options are taking a higher share of sales.

These categories have seen an array of product reformulation as manufacturers seek to mitigate the sugar backlash, resulting in positive nutritional change among consumers.

Is this trend impacting your business? If so, how are you reformulating your products? Contact [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter @confectionprod.