In the past 12 months, the sugar debate really stepped up its game.
That Sugar Film screened internationally, Jamie Oliver presented ideas for sugar reduction in UK Parliament and no less than three Governments signed off on a sugary drinks tax (UK, South Africa and San Francisco). And, of course, we’ve just been championing the cause nonstop!
Safe to say this has ruffled some feathers. Coke and PepsiCo have scrambled to market their drinks to sugar-free consumers, renaming their diet drinks Coke Zero Sugar and Pepsi Zero Sugar. PepsiCo has even reintroduced controversial artificial sweetener aspartame, in an effort to make their diet drinks taste better.
But it’s not all sneaky tactics. We’ve been happy to see a few big companies introduce their own initiatives to help people eat less sugar. Here are just a few of the highlights.
1. Reformulation and reduction.
The UK sugar tax means that the more sugar the beverage contains, the more it will cost. This has already pressured companies like sugary drinks manufacturers Britvic and Suntory to reduce sugar content by 20 per cent before 2020.
Impressively, UK Kellogg’s has also pledged to cut 723 tons of sugar from its cereals by 2017. And they’re not even affected by the sugar tax! Looks like the message is really getting out!
2. Treat transparency.
Of course, it’s not just soda and cereal that have high sugar content. Mars Foods recently introduced warning labels on Dolmio and Uncle Ben’s sauces to advise “occasional consumption” (once a week or less). With some of these sauces containing the same amount of sugar as a Mars Bar, we’re chuffed to see Mars labelling them as the treats they are.
3. Candy-free checkouts.
Shopping with kids can be tough when sugar is staring at them from every corner. UK supermarkets are helping prevent potential tantrums (and impulse purchases) by removing sweets from checkouts. This includes M&S, Tesco, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, The Cooperative, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons and even Boots Pharmacy!
4. Labelling initiatives.
Wouldn’t it be easy if there were an independent labelling system that showed you at a glance which products are low in sugar? That’s the goal of certification initiative Sugarwise, which is backed by supermarket giant Tesco. If only Aussie supermarkets could strike a deal like this!
5. Sweetener swaps.
While we obviously don’t condone Pepsi’s use of aspartame (or any other artificial sweeteners), natural sweeteners like stevia and xylitol are popping up as sugar substitutes in more products.
Big Food companies are even working on gradually reformulating processed foods to see how the public reacts to versions with alternative sweeteners. Yeah, we prefer to Just Eat Real Food – but we can’t knock ‘em for trying!
Do you know of any companies taking a stand against sugar? Send us an email at info@iquitsugar.com or let us know in the comments below!
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