Across much of the globe, one thing is clear: nearly everyone is actively reining in their sugar intake. What’s interesting are the various ways in which different cultures approach it. ADM Outside Voice℠ research surveyed 13,900 people in 15 countries across four regions about their purchase behaviours. On average, 83 % of consumers are limiting or avoiding sugars in their diets, but the products of particular concern vary widely.
In North America, 69 % of shoppers are flipping over pancake syrup bottles to review sugar content and ingredients on labels, while it doesn’t even make the list in the other regions. Sugar scrutiny in non-alcoholic beverages is a global priority, yet research shows that sweetening preferences shift considerably across markets. For example, North Americans prioritise milk alternatives, Europeans are focused on the quality of chocolates and pastries, and, in Latin America and Asia Pacific, snacks and specialised nutrition are top areas for product evaluation.
“It’s clear how significant monitoring sugar consumption is, no matter the region. That’s why we have invested in extensive research and analysis to understand attitudes towards sugar, motivations for reading labels, and unique ingredient preferences,” said Sarah Diedrich, Senior Marketing Director, Global Sweetening & Texturising Solutions, ADM. “We began this journey two years ago, and it has culminated in the launch of a new interactive insights tool that provides users with an in-depth look at the nuances of consumer behaviour across the globe.”
Capturing this comprehensive data is ADM’s new interactive tool, allowing food and beverage manufacturers a clear view of how people around the world are navigating their sugar reduction journeys, and the similarities and differences across nations.
ADM’s research reveals that a significant majority of the population is reducing their sugar intake, particularly in countries such as Mexico, Spain, Romania and Brazil, where around 90 % declare they actively limit or avoid sugars. The importance of low sugar content is so crucial that respondents place it on equal footing with satisfying taste across most of the globe; however, Asia Pacific is an outlier, prioritising quality and health benefits more substantially.
“Our research delivers valuable insights for product development. It serves as a roadmap for formulation strategies, highlighting the most important elements on nutrition labels and ingredient declarations that resonate with shoppers from one category to the next. Furthermore, we leverage this data when partnering with brands as they enter new global markets,” said Diedrich. “For example, we’ve observed that consumers are more forgiving on calories and sugar tallies in indulgent food categories like confections, ice creams and sweet bakery. However, there is a notable shift toward reviewing the quality of ingredients and sweetening choices in these segments. From this foundation, we can educate brands on the acceptability of ingredients in different regions, which allows them to appropriately balance great taste with label appeal.”
Within the map of the insights tool, country-specific highlights are also shared. For instance, consumers in Poland are more likely to have purchased nutrition bars and sports performance drinks, citing strong athletic and cardiovascular goals more than other European nations. Australians are more likely to seek out sugar-free products rather than offerings with partially reduced sugar, particularly when compared to three other Asia Pacific countries. For shoppers in Mexico, plant-based claims and alternative sweeteners like stevia and agave are sought-after ingredients; and Brazilians hold high regard for products with sustainable sourcing claims.
“These are just a few trends identified in the extensive statistics organised in our new interactive tool, designed to help navigate consumer desires for limiting sugars,” said Diedrich. “Supplying global and local insights is just the first step to our holistic approach to achieving successful sweetening solutions. Paired with formulation expertise and our vast portfolio of ingredients – all parts come together to address global nutrition goals.”
ADM is uniquely positioned to replicate full-sugar taste through its proprietary approach, Replace Rebalance Rebuild®. The method uses sweetening systems alongside flavours and enabling ingredients to replace sweetness, rebalance flavour and rebuild functionality. ADM is invested in research and dedicated to continually expand its ingredients pantry to solve formulation challenges and support manufacturers taking on sugar replacement efforts.
Most American consumers are now aiming to reduce their sugar intake, and continue to look for new, better-tasting, non-caloric alternatives. Recent consumer research commissioned by food and beverage ingredient innovator, MycoTechnology, Inc., examines attitudes toward sugar reduction and high-intensity sweeteners, uncovering key opportunities in the market.
MycoTechnology partnered with Brightfield Group to gather proprietary, AI-driven insights among a sample of US adult consumers, finding that sugar is the top item people want to reduce in their diets. However, 75% also wish there were better-tasting non-caloric options, highlighting taste as a major pain point in the current market.
Of those who are actively reducing their sugar intake, 71 % report that they do so by eating fewer sweet foods, versus only 31 % that are using products with non-caloric sweeteners, indicating room for improvement across reduced sugar formulations. Additionally, 7 in 10 consumers that use non-caloric, naturally derived sweeteners report that they would be interested in new options. The survey also showed widespread interest in clean label ingredients, combined with negative perceptions of artificial sweeteners.
“This research demonstrates clear demand in the market for new, appealing sweeteners that are derived from nature,” said Caroline Schwarzman, MycoTechnology’s Head of Business Development. “Sugar reduction is top of mind for consumers, but many feel that achieving this goal requires sacrifice—on taste, price or perceived health risks. This trade-off is preventing the reduced sugar market from reaching its full potential.”
In response to this critical food system challenge, MycoTechnology is developing the first ever sweet protein from honey truffles, offering an unparalleled solution for sugar reduction. Following the achievement of several technical and safety milestones, the company continues to scale production and is collaborating with food and beverage innovators to bring Honey Truffle Sweetener to market.
“Innovative fermentation technologies have allowed us to target common challenges, establishing a clean sweetness profile with proven safety and digestibility performance, and low cost-in-use,” added Ranjan Patnaik, Ph.D., MycoTechnology’s CTO. “This new solution is designed to address the top concerns of consumers, presenting an opportunity for food and beverage innovators to meet demands and stand out on the shelf.”
AGRANA Group recently confirmed its annual guidance on 10 October 2024 in the context of publishing its results for the first half of 2024/25. Significantly lower EBIT* was forecast for the 2024/25 financial year compared to the prior year (2023/24: € 151.0 million), with a decline of 10 % to 50 %.
It had already been communicated that, due to higher sugar inventories and sharply falling sugar prices (in the EU and globally), AGRANA’s Sugar segment in particular would continue to face very challenging times in the coming months. Since the full-blown start of the sugar beet processing campaign in October 2024, it has also become evident that the campaign costs of the new 2024/25 sugar marketing year will be higher than expected. In the meantime, the evaluation of September’s flooding damages (primarily in Austria) has also been largely completed. The negative impact on earnings in the current financial year has been higher than originally forecast, mainly due to the production stoppage at the plant in Pischelsdorf, Austria, in the Starch segment.
These developments are primarily responsible for the forecast now that the 2024/25 financial year will be characterised by a very significant decline in EBIT* of more than 50 % at the Group level. The operating profit before exceptional items and results of equity-accounted joint ventures is expected to be in the range of € 55 million to € 75 million.
The publication of the results for the first three quarters of 2024/25, including details of the outlook for all segments in the remainder of the 2024/25 financial year, will be on 14 January 2025 as scheduled.
*EBIT: operating profit after exceptional items and results of equity-accounted joint ventures
Martina Steinberger-Voracek will take over the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at AGRANA Zucker GmbH with effect from 1 November 2024.
Following her MBA at the University of Graz, Martina Steinberger-Voracek began her professional career at Henkel AG, where she held various top positions in marketing, sales and management, including Sales Director Austria, General Manager Austria, Vice President Sales and CEE Manager as well as Corporate Vice President Global Sales. She then embarked on an entrepreneurial career step as a start-up founder and also worked as a business consultant focussing on innovation, sales and trading strategy.
“We are delighted to have been able to attract Martina Steinberger-Voracek to our sugar division as CEO. With over 30 years of professional experience and an in-depth understanding of international sales management, go-to-market strategies and the management of transformation processes, she brings considerable expertise to AGRANA”, says Stephan Büttner, CEO of AGRANA Beteiligungs-AG.
SAMBAZON, a leading supplier of certified fair trade and organic Açaí, announced that its Açaí Superfruit Juice is now available with 50 % less sugar. Responding to consumer demand for lower sugar alternatives, SAMBAZON reformulated its popular juice using natural sweeteners like Agave Inulin to maintain its signature taste while significantly reducing the sugar and calories.
“Consumer feedback was clear-even loyal SAMBAZON buyers like the new product just as much as the original,” said Vicki Isip, Chief Marketing Officer at SAMBAZON. “We’ve optimised the flavour and sweetness to match our best-selling Original Açaí Juice while using natural ingredients to deliver a great-tasting product with all the nutritional benefits.” The new formulation retains all the antioxidants and vitamins of the original, but with 50 % less sugar and 29 % fewer calories. The relaunch also features a refreshed look, including the new SAMBAZON logo and transparent packaging that showcases the quality of the juice.
SAMBAZON’s revamped Açaí Superfruit Juice with less sugar is available in 32oz bottles at Whole Foods Market, Publix, and other retailers in the US in the refrigerated juice section.
About SAMBAZON® Founded in 2000, SAMBAZON, an acronym for Sustainable Management of the Brazilian Amazon, was the first company to introduce “Certified Açaí” to the world, supplying Organic and Fair Trade certified Açaí products such as Smoothie Packs, Ready-to-Eat Açaí Bowls, Juice, Energy drinks and Açaí Bites from a proprietary supply chain, and pioneering transparency from the “Palm of the tree to the Palm of your Hand.” SAMBAZON’s Fair Trade certification has helped to protect the Amazon Rainforest and its rich biodiversity and has helped to positively impact thousands of local growers by donating over $1 million to build or renovate healthcare centers, community centers, and schools. SAMBAZON Açaí Bowls retail concepts are available for franchising and licensing, transforming quick-serve restaurants for various segments such as Universities, Healthcare, Stadiums, Airports, and Neighborhoods.
There is a global call for reduced sugar that is shaking the JNSD world – particularly fruit juice production. Driven by consumer concerns about health and weight, and further burdened by sugar taxes and other regulations in a number of countries, how can you reduce the sugar level of juice products, while maintaining quality and consumer appeal?
You can dilute the juice, of course, but there are also technologies available to reduce the intrinsic sugars in the juice itself (mainly sucrose, glucose and fructose). These are membrane filtration, enzymatic sugar transformation, and yeast fermentation. Tetra Pak has invested in fermentation – with a special process that can reduce sugar to practically zero.
The new approach to this problem reduces sugar through controlled fermentation, followed by yeast removal and removal of the alcohol. The resulting juice with 0 % sugar can then be blended with normal juice to achieve any level of sugar reduction you desire.
The yeast Tetra Pak use has been specifically selected because of its history of safe use within the food industry, its suitability for sugar reduction in juice, and its fermentation efficiency and reproducibility.
A new white paper by Tetra Pak describes processing lines for fermentation, yeast removal and dealcoholisation, as well as final blending of fruit juices. The company explain why the monitoring of temperature, agitation and sugar levels is essential to an optimal and cost-effective process. Food-grade alcohol can be extracted from the process for various food and beverage applications, if desired.
The concept has been proven in technical and consumer tests, and offers you a broad opportunity to create an entirely new product category – reduced-sugar juices and drinks. The scope of creative blending is practically limitless.
Company’s largest-ever campaign will support zero sugar, full-flavour line rolling out in the US this fall
Zero sugar juices are known for having zero flavour – until now. Welch’s, the leading name in bold fruit flavours for over 150 years, is changing the game with the launch of their new line of zero sugar juices that don’t compromise on flavour.
“We heard from our more health-conscious consumers that they wanted a zero-sugar juice option that didn’t compromise on flavour, and the options currently in the juice and refrigerated aisles just weren’t delivering on that ask,” said Scott Utke, Chief Marketing Officer at Welch’s. “Our team worked tirelessly to innovate a line of zero-sugar juices that are bursting with the bold, fruit flavours Welch’s is known for, and we believe this new line is a game-changer for consumers who are mindful about the choices they are making when it comes to sugar.”
In September, Welch’s largest-ever marketing campaign, “You Gotta Sip It, To Get It,” will kick off to support the new line of zero sugar juices. From social to streaming, custom integrations to sponsorships, and sampling to experiential events – the campaign will appear across various consumer touchpoints. Highlighting the puzzling moments in life that make our heads tilt in curiosity. However, once one tries Welch’s Zero, these bewildering moments transform into a refreshingly flavourful experience – reinforcing the notion that “You Gotta Sip It to Get It!”
Welch’s Zero Sugar is available in two refreshing refrigerated flavours: Passion Fruit and Grape (59 oz cartons), and three delicious shelf-stable flavours: Tropical Punch, Strawberry, and Concord Grape, offered in multi-serve (64 oz) and single-serve (10 oz) sizes. Crafted with the same commitment to quality and flavour that has made Welch’s a trusted household name, each serving is bursting with vibrant, real fruit flavour with 0 grams of sugar and provides an excellent source of Vitamin C (20 % of DV).
All flavours of Welch’s Zero will be available in juice aisles and refrigerated sections at retailers in the US starting September 1.
A recent study reveals that natural sugars found in fruit juice appear to support physical recovery after exercise
Cloudy apple juice was found to recover the intestinal barrier function more quickly than other drinks – this helps to support recovery
The body’s stress makers reduced more quickly in recovery after drinking fruit juice when compared with other beverages
The study, led by Dr Patrick Diel, shines a light on the potential health benefits of fruit juice for fitness enthusiasts
Drinking fruit juice could help the body recover more quickly after intense physical activity such as long-distance running, according to a new study.
The peer-reviewed study, published in international journal, Nutrients, found that while added sugars can have a negative impact on the intestinal barrier after exercise, the naturally occurring sugars and polyphenols (plant compounds) found in fruit juice seem to support a more balanced recovery.
While it’s common to reach for a sugary sports drink during or after exercise, scientists have known for some time that added sugars can cause problems with the intestinal barrier – a critical part of our immune defence. A leaky intestinal barrier can lead to harmful bacteria crossing from the gut into the blood which stimulates inflammation. This, then, increases the risk of overtraining syndrome and metabolic conditions such as endotoxemia – where the body has a toxic reaction to bacteria.
The study, led by Dr Patrick Diel, was set up to find out whether fruit juices caused the same inflammatory effect as sugar-sweetened drinks.
The researchers looked at the gut health of runners before and after an ultramarathon. They compared the impact of drinking diluted cloudy apple juice with a test drink which mimicked a typical sugary sports drink. This contained identical amounts of sugar but not the polyphenols and other fruit complexes naturally found in juice.
The researchers found that, while both exercise and sugars can disrupt the intestinal barrier, the natural compounds found in fruit juice eased these effects*. Runners who drank the cloudy apple juice after the race recovered their intestinal barrier function more quickly than those who drank the sugar-sweetened test drink*.
Another part of the study on amateur runners found that drinking diluted cloudy apple juice after running influenced a protein called CD14 suggesting that the juice supported the body’s immune system. Furthermore, the study showed that runners who drank fruit juice reduced their stress markers more quickly compared with those who drank the sugar-sweetened test drink.
Dr Patrick Diel from German Sport University in Cologne, said: “The research comes at a timely moment for anyone inspired to get more active in the run up to the Olympic games, and these findings offer a fresh perspective how to best replenish our bodies. Simply diluting cloudy apple juice and drinking it after playing sports or exercising seems to be an easy and healthy option which supports both gut health and immune function”.
Award-winning dietitian, Dr Carrie Ruxton said: “To properly recover after exercise, our bodies need healthy carbohydrates. In light of these findings, I would encourage athletes, fitness enthusiasts and causal gym-goers to add a serving of around 150ml of cloudy apple juice to their sports bottle and top up with tap water for a low cost and effective sports drink. Not only will this mixture keep us hydrated, it also provides energy-giving natural sugars and polyphenols to promote optimal recovery.”
As with any dietary change, it is important to drink juice in moderation and as part of a balanced diet. However, these studies suggest that when it comes to supporting the body after an Olympic-inspired workout, cloudy apple juice is the perfect health hack.
*Valder, S. et al. Effect of Sugar- and Polyphenol-Rich, Diluted Cloudy Apple Juice on the Intestinal Barrier after Moderate Endurance Exercise and in Ultra-Marathon Runners. Nutrients 2024, 16, 1353. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16091353
Stephan Büttner (Photo: AGRANA)
In the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year (the three months ended 31 May 2024), AGRANA, the fruit, starch and sugar company, generated operating profit (EBIT) of € 32.3 million, a significant reduction of 49.1 % from the first quarter of the prior year. Revenue eased slightly, by 2.3 %, to € 944.3 million. “After the robust results of the full year 2023/24, as expected we had a weaker start to the 2024/25 financial year. The significant decline in profit resulted from the highly challenging market environment in the Sugar and Starch segments, where sales prices fell. Business in the Fruit segment was better, leading to a significant increase in Fruit EBIT,” says AGRANA Chief Executive Officer Stephan Büttner.
Results in each business segment for the first quarter of 2024/25
FRUIT segment
The Fruit segment’s revenue in the first quarter was € 415.6 million, up 3.6% from the same period one year earlier. The increase occurred both in the fruit preparations and fruit juice concentrate businesses and resulted from volume growth.
EBIT of the segment as a whole grew to € 27.0 million in the first three months of the financial year (Q1 prior year: € 24.4 million). In the fruit preparations activities, EBIT was significantly above the year-ago level. The improvement was attributable partly to a positive business performance in the Europe region (including Ukraine) and in Mexico.
STARCH segment
Revenue in the Starch segment in the first quarter was € 265.5 million, a reduction of 16.3% from the year-earlier comparative period (Q1 prior year: € 317.1 million), when the war in Ukraine had led to powerful increases in market prices. Owing to the decline in raw material and energy prices, market prices for the segment’s products decreased noticeably year-on- year, which impacted the selling prices obtained for the entire Starch portfolio. Ethanol sales prices, for instance, fell by about 25 % amid a substantial drop in Platts quotations.
At € 9.4 million, EBIT in the Starch segment was down very significantly year-on-year. A key reason for this was the margin decline in starch and saccharification products driven by significantly lower sales prices for core and by-products.
SUGAR segment
Sugar segment revenue was € 263.2 million, up 6.2 % from the first quarter of the previous year. The negative effect of lower sugar sales prices was more than made up for by higher sales volumes. The trajectory of the sugar market was most recently driven by the sugar imports from Ukraine and the expectation of increased EU sugar production in the 2024/25 campaign.
The Sugar EBIT result in the financial first quarter was a deficit of € 4.1 million, a pronounced deterioration from the year-earlier period. This reflected especially the significant fall in sugar selling prices, which was steepest in the regions heavily affected by the imports of Ukrainian sugar.
Outlook
For the full 2024/25 financial year, AGRANA expects a significant reduction in operating profit (EBIT) compared to the previous year. Group revenue is projected to show a moderate decrease.
Total investment across the three business segments in the 2024/25 financial year, at approximately € 120 million, is to be moderately below the 2023/24 value and in line with budgeted depreciation. About 12 % of this capital expenditure will be for emission reduction measures in the Group’s own production operations under the AGRANA climate strategy.
Global sugar production is forecast up 2.5 million tons to 186.0 million with lower production in Brazil expected to more than offset higher production in Thailand, India, China, and Mexico. Consumption is anticipated to rise to a new record with growth in markets such as India and Pakistan. Exports are forecast lower due to reduced shipments from Brazil, India, and Thailand. Stocks are forecast lower as reduced stocks in Thailand are projected to more than offset a rise in stocks in India …
GNT has launched a new range of plant-based EXBERRY® concentrates that enable manufacturers to achieve clean-label brown shades in low-pH soft drinks.
EXBERRY® Shade Autumn Brown and EXBERRY® Shade Golden Brown can deliver clear reddish-brown and caramel-brown hues in still and carbonated soft drinks.
There is a growing demand for natural brown colours that do not pose any health concerns to consumers or contain any of the 14 allergens specified under the EU Labeling Regulation.
Made using caramelised sugar syrup, the new EXBERRY® browns offer a clean-label solution that is also naturally free from gluten. They can provide an excellent alternative to caramel (E150) in applications including natural colas, energy drinks, and iced lattes.
Helen Vine, Key Account Manager at GNT Group, said: “This new EXBERRY® range was created to meet the rising demand for natural, plant-based browns that can deliver clear shades in beverages. Our concentrates allow brands to maximise their drinks’ appeal with eye-catching colours alongside clean and clear ingredient lists.”
The liquid-based colours are created from edible, non-GMO fruit and vegetables and are suitable for vegan, kosher, and halal diets. EXBERRY® Shade Autumn Brown contains carrot concentrate in addition to the caramelised sugar syrup while EXBERRY® Shade Golden Brown also includes apple concentrate.
Both products provide high-performing, clear solutions with no formation of turbidity or sediment even in acidic beverages with pH levels below 3.0. In addition, they offer excellent light and heat stability and are easy to pump and dose.
Following the continued success of Tango’s rotational flavour series Tango Editions, Britvic is bringing its latest ‘Edition’, Tango Mango, to shelves and chillers this February. Tango Editions combine bold tastes, liquids and pack designs to produce striking products that stand out on shelves and in chillers. Succeeding Tango’s popular Paradise Punch flavour, this latest rotation is set to meet the demand for Mango flavoured drinks, giving shoppers more sugar-free options without compromising on taste.
Tango has more than doubled in sales in the last three years1, now worth over £96m RSV, and is still in double digit growth (+ 24 %).2 The brand’s successful rotational flavour series has seen Tango Paradise Punch become the number one flavoured fruit carbonate new product development of 20233, now worth over £13.6m RSV,4 with the year before seeing Tango Berry Peachy crowned the number one fruit flavoured carbonate new product development of 20225. What’s more, following its launch last June, Tango Apple Sugar Free is now worth £23.5m RSV6. These results demonstrate the brand’s well-placed position to grow the fruit flavoured carbonates category further with its latest flavour, particularly with mango flavoured drinks in double digit growth versus last year (+ 26 %).7
Ben Parker, Britvic’s Retail Commercial Director in Great Britain, said: “Our next big flavour launch, Tango Mango, drives appeal among new and existing Tango fans, generating additional sales opportunities for retailers. We understand retailers don’t have infinite space for new products, but the Tango Editions range has already proven to drive additional sales, and the rotational change seasonally maintains excitement and engagement with the brand. In addition, Tango Mango aims to attract a broader range of shoppers including Gen Z and families, expanding sales opportunities for retailers. Innovating in the fruit flavoured carbonates category will always be important to Tango – with new and exciting sugar free flavours, which play on the brand’s bold, fun tone and personality, helping to increase consumer purchases.”
Tango Mango is the latest sugar free flavour from Britvic, with the company’s continued innovation and reformulation programmes meaning an average of just 22 calories per 250 ml serve across its drinks portfolio globally. All activity is enabling the company to offer consumers healthier choices as part of its long-term Healthier People sustainability strategy.
Available from 1 February for 12 months, the fruit flavoured carbonate will be available to enjoy in formats to be consumed at home or on the go, helping retailers to tap into this market and drive soft drink sales with a popular flavour. The latest Edition is expected to be another success following consumer research8 and features a bold, modern pack design that is sure to catch shoppers’ attention and encourage them to Get Tango’d. The flavour will be available in a variety of formats: 330 ml can, 500 ml bottle, 2 litre bottles, 8 can multipack and 24 can multipack. The launch of Mango Tango will be supported by social media and influencer activity to increase awareness.
1NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Fruit Flavoured carbonates Britvic Defined, Product Range, Value Sales, Latest 52 Wks 3YA – w/e 09/01/21 (£46,393,571) vs Latest 52 Wks – w/e 06/01/24 (£96,161,604) 2NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Fruit Flavoured carbonates Britvic Defined, Product Range, Value Sales, Value % Chg vs YA, Latest 52 weeks to 30.12.23. 3NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Value/Volume sales, Fruit Flavoured Carbonates, Britvic Defined, YTD Calendar year 2023- w/e 30.12.23 4NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Value sales, Fruit Flavoured Carbonates, Britvic Defined, Latest 52 wks w/e 30.12.23 5NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Value/Volume sales, Fruit Flavoured Carbonates, Britvic Defined, YTD Calendar year 2022- w/e 31.12.22 6NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Fruit Flavoured carbonates Britvic Defined, Product Range, Value Sales, Latest 52 weeks to 30.12.23. 7NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Value sales, Total soft drinks, Mango flavoured drinks, Latest 52 wks w/e 30.12.23 8MMR Consumer Research 2023 Base, rep sample n=159
Ingredion leads investment round to accelerate start-up’s advanced technology for naturally reducing sugar
FoodTech start-up Better Juice, Ltd., announced its collaboration with Ingredion, Inc., a leading global provider of specialty ingredients to the food and beverage industry. Ingredion Ventures, Ingredion’s venture investment arm, will lead the Series A funding round for Better Juice which will fast-track penetration of its breakthrough sugar reduction solution into the US juice market.
Better Juice’s innovative sugar reduction technology removes simple sugars in juice-based beverages, concentrates and other natural sugar-containing liquids. The Company developed an enzymatic technology, which converts sugars into non-digestible compounds, such as dietary fibers and non-digestible sugars, while maintaining the natural profile of vitamins, minerals and organic acids in the final product.
“This important partnership step is truly exciting,” enthuses Gali Yarom, co-founder and co-CEO of Better Juice. “It dovetails perfectly with the Better Juice strategy to penetrate the North American market. Ingredion was impressed by our non-GMO technology, and its uses in a wide variety of applications. This move will open doors to leading food and beverage companies seeking sugar-reduction solutions for their products.”
“The Better Juice technology adds a completely new dimension to our portfolio of sugar reduction solutions for food and beverage brands on a mission to meet increased consumer demand for less sugar,” says Nate Yates, Sugar Reduction Business Leader at Ingredion. “This technology also provides manufacturers with more options to successfully reduce sugar without compromising on great taste or nutrition.”
Clean-label conversion
The environmentally friendly clean-label conversion process applies proprietary beads composed of non-GMO microorganisms which produce enzymes. These enzymes convert the juice’s composition of fruit sugars including sucrose, glucose, and fructose into better-for-you prebiotic fibers and other non-digestible molecules. This enables sugar reduction by 30 to 80 percent.
“This alliance will accelerate our go-to-market journey,” explains Eran Blachinsky, PhD, co-founder and co-CEO of Better Juice. “Ingredion’s capital support will allow us to extend the technology to other liquids with natural sources of sugar, such as milk, beer, and wine.”
This achievement follows Better Juice’s well-established partnership with GEA Group, one of the largest suppliers of food processing technology.
Better Juice primed for commercialisation
Better Juice’s solution has successfully advanced to commercial scale in the U.S. In recent years, it demonstrated its full proof of concept in collaboration with juice manufacturers in the U.S. and Asia. These companies are now poised to progress to the next stage of commercialisation. Better Juice is now fully prepped for market entry, with a capacity to process 250 million liters of sugar reduced juice per year.
Since 2022, the groundbreaking GEA Better Juice Sugar Converter Skid is included in GEA’s test center in Ahaus, Germany. Better Juice collaborates with GEA for manufacturing the bioreactor, and together they install the technology in customers’ facilities.
“Better Juice has achieved important milestones in the past two years and has positioned itself as the leading company for reducing simple sugars from natural sources,” notes Amir Zaidman, VP of The Kitchen Hub. “The timing is perfect for serving the rapidly expanding trend of consumers striving to cut down on simple sugars in their diet.”
About Ingredion Ingredion, Inc. (NYSE: INGR), headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago, is a leading global ingredient solutions provider serving customers in more than 120 countries. With 2022 annual net sales of nearly $8 billion, the company turns grains, fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based materials into value-added ingredient solutions for the food, beverage, animal nutrition, brewing, and industrial markets. With Ingredion Idea Labs® innovation centers located around the world, and approximately 12,000 employees, Ingredion co-creates with customers to fulfill its mission of bringing the potential of people, nature, and technology together to make life better.
The revision aims to help consumers make informed and healthier decisions on agri-food products such as honey, fruit juice, jam, jellies and marmalades.
On 12th December, Parliament adopted its position on the revision of the so-called ‘breakfast’ directives with 522 votes in favour, 13 against and 65 abstentions. The proposal updates rules on the composition, name, labelling and presentation of certain ‘breakfast’ foodstuffs.
Clear labelling of country of origin
MEPs agree that the country where honey has been harvested must appear on the label. They add that for fruit juices, jams, jellies, marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée the country of origin of the fruit used must also be indicated on the front-label. If the honey or fruit used originates in more than one country, MEPs want the countries of origin to be indicated on the label in descending order according to the proportion they make up of the final product.
To limit fraud, MEPs want to set-up a traceability system for the honey supply chain to track product origin. They also want the EU to form a reference laboratory for honey to improve controls and to detect adulteration through systematic testing.
Sugar content labelling
MEPs propose that the label ‘contains only naturally occurring sugars’ should be allowed for fruit juices. To meet the growing demand for low-sugar products, reformulated fruit juices may be labelled ‘reduced-sugar fruit juice’.
New techniques that remove naturally occurring sugars in fruit juices, jams, jellies or milk should not lead to the use of sweeteners to compensate for the effect of sugar reduction on the taste, texture and quality of the final product, MEPs say. They add that labels of the reduced-sugar foodstuff must not contain claims regarding positive properties, such as health benefits.
Next steps
Parliament is now ready to begin talks with EU governments on the final shape of the law.
Background
The revision of EU marketing standards for certain ‘breakfast’ directives was proposed by the European Commission on 21 April 2023 to update current standards that are more than 20 years old.
The launch of Ocean Spray® Zero Sugar marks the first national brand to introduce a zero-sugar product with no artificial sweeteners in the shelf-stable juice aisle.
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., the agricultural cooperative owned by roughly 700 farmer families, has announced the launch of Ocean Spray® Zero Sugar Juice Drink, the first beverage from Ocean Spray with bold flavour, 0 g of sugar, and no artificial sweeteners*.
Ocean Spray® Zero Sugar Juice Drink will be available in two flavours, Ocean Spray’s iconic Cranberry flavour and Mixed Berry, a new flavour to the brand’s beverage portfolio. Made with real fruit juice and sweetened with stevia*, Zero Sugar is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
“From full flavour blends to refreshing diet and now bold zero sugar, Ocean Spray is committed to developing product innovations that continually meet the needs and desires of consumers who are seeking out more options for their juice drink,” said Trinh Le, Vice President, Next Generation Beverages and Omni-Channel Marketing at Ocean Spray. “We’re excited to be the first brand to introduce this new innovative product in the shelf stable aisle and continue our legacy of beverage innovation.”
Ocean Spray® Zero Sugar is the latest in the brand’s developments to create more health-conscious options for today’s shoppers. Earlier this year, Ocean Spray launched another “better-for-you” juice line, which includes Immunity Cranberry Blueberry Acai, Immunity Orange Mango, and Ocean Spray® Revitalize Cranberry Pineapple Juice Drink. These function-forward beverages are made with real fruit juice, no artificial sweeteners*, and zero added sugar.
Ocean Spray® Zero Sugar Juice Drinks will be available in the US at grocery stores and Walmart in November 2023
*Contains stevia leaf extract, which has been further processed
Royal Unibrew A/S announced the closing of the acquisition of Vrumona, the second largest soft drink company in the Netherlands, from Heineken. Vrumona is located near Utrecht and employs more than 300 people. The company has a strong portfolio of own brands and partner brands supporting the health and sustainability agenda.
Lars Jensen, CEO of Royal Unibrew A/S, states: “I am happy to welcome the dedicated and talented people from Vrumona to the Royal Unibrew family. We are eager to onboard the strong organisation and get started on the exiting journey to establish the company as a multi-beverage platform in Central Europe that will deliver organic earnings growth for years to come.”
As previously announced, Royal Unibrew A/S is acquiring 100 % of Vrumona at an enterprise value of EUR 300 million on a debt free basis. In 2022, Vrumona realised net revenue of EUR 200 million and an EBITDA of around EUR 25 million, resulting in an acquisition multiple (EV/EBITDA) of 12x.
The acquisition is expected to be EPS accretive in 2024, and ROIC on the acquisition is expected to exceed WACC within three years.
Vrumona fits very well into Royal Unibrew A/S’ operating model of strong local businesses with strong local brands with its solid positions in On-Trade and Off-Trade. The company has been a front runner in creating healthy and functional beverages for years for which reason the majority of its business is within the no/low sugar and calories segment. With the acquisition, Royal Unibrew A/S establish a new growth platform and expand its geographical footprint while the company also expand its longstanding relationship with PepsiCo as Vrumona is operating the full beverage portfolio from PepsiCo on a license agreement in a partnership dating back to 1949.
The Vrumona production facility in Bunnik includes seven lines with a current annual output of around 3.1 million hectoliters. The production facility is in a good condition; however, additional long-term investments are needed to improve efficiency as well as to expand capabilities and capacities. It is therefore expected that it will take some years before the platform is able to exploit its full organic growth potential.
Import Promotion Desk (IPD) presents special sweeteners and a wide variety of dried fruits from developing and emerging countries
Sweet treats are on offer at the Import Promotion Desk (IPD) stand: Arenga palm sugar and coconut blossom sugar from Indonesia and Sri Lanka as well as date syrup and sugar from Jordan and Tunisia. At Anuga, which takes place from 7 to 11 October in Cologne, Germany, IPD will also present a wide variety of dried fruits, purees and fruit chunks. Producers from Egypt, Tunisia, Colombia, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan will bring this fruity sweetness to Cologne. All in all, the import promotion initiative, a project of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is presenting over 40 companies from 13 developing and emerging countries at Anuga in Hall 4.1, booth C91. The screened producers have a very diverse range of natural ingredients in their luggage.
Sugar from flower nectar of the coconut and Arenga palm tree
An exclusive sweetness is extracted from flower nectar of the coconut palm and the Arenga palm, which is processed into sugar without the addition of additives. Both types of sugar have a malty, caramel-like aroma and are less sweet than household sugar. The producers from Sri Lanka and Indonesia offer their sugar varieties in organic quality. Moreover, the products are HACCP and ISO 22000 certified. Besides granulated sugar, the companies also have syrup and block sugar in their product range. Exhibitors from Tunisia and Jordan process dates into syrup and sugar. The sweeteners have significantly fewer calories than household sugar. Syrup and sugar consist mainly of fructose and retain the typical date flavour. The producers also offer a wide range of date products – such as date coffee and date ketchup! The companies are HACCP, ISO or FSCC 22000 certified.
Sweetness from special fruit variations
A wide range of processed fruits will be presented by the IPD companies at Anuga this year. Freeze-dried strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and currants come from Uzbekistan. An Egyptian company is using the freeze-drying process for strawberries, mangoes, citrus fruits and pineapples. Dried mangoes and pineapples come from Ghana. Tunisian producers offer dates and various types of figs. An IPD company from Sri Lanka provides special sweetness: it produces dried jackfruit. And a Colombian company presents juicy pieces of mangoes, papaya, pineapple, bananas and passion fruit and frozen fruit purees.
In addition, the IPD will be presenting carefully selected suppliers of these products at Anuga Cologne in Hall 4.1, booth C91: Spices, such as cinnamon, ginger, chili or vanilla beans, as well as a wide variety of nuts, oil seeds or oils such as argan, avocado or coconut oil.
Symrise AG has signed a minority investment agreement with Bonumose. The early-stage food ingredient manufacturer specialises in the affordable production of delicious, good-for-you rare monosaccharides (alternatives to sucrose) such as tagatose and allulose. With this strategic transaction, Symrise will accelerate growth in its sugar reduction initiatives. The area represents a high-priority focus for the North America region within the Taste, Nutrition & Health segment.
“This exciting investment forges a strategic partnership. It will enhance our flavour and taste balancing technologies with Bonumose’s innovative and economical tagatose and other alternative sweetening solutions. Combining our technologies, will enable us to offer our customers new pathways to sugar reduction and taste balancing solutions. In turn, this will allow them to reduce sugar while optimising the taste of better-for-you products for their consumers. This applies especially in the beverage and ice-cream categories. Health forms a growing focus category for Symrise. With the support of Bonumose’s enzymatic expertise, we can bring novel and disrupting ingredients to the marketplace together”, said Nick Russell, Senior Vice President – Business Incubation Group, Symrise AG.
Bonumose opened a new R&D facility and manufacturing plant earlier this year. The facility allows for quality, consistent, and economic production of their growing portfolio of sugar alternatives. Bonumose was founded in 2016 as a start-up. It continues to grow thanks to their patented enzymatic technology. This allows for the sustainable bulk production of healthy ingredients from globally-abundant plant material.
Ed Rogers, Bonumose Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, said: “We feel enthusiastic about the future and the growth that the investment and partnership with Symrise enables. Now, we are coupling our expertise in tagatose and other naturally-occurring sugar alternatives with the extensive Symrise flavour proficiency and expansive portfolio across multiple platforms in both human food and animal nutrition. This creates the opportunity to offer unique value to customers. The strength of Symrise as an augmented flavour house paired with Bonumose’s patented enzymatic technology will enable cutting edge solutions to sugar reduction.”
In the first quarter of the 2023/24 financial year (the three months ended 31 May 2023), AGRANA, the fruit, starch and sugar company, achieved very significant growth of 23.1 % in operating profit (EBIT) to EUR 63.5 million. Revenue increased by 9.0 % to EUR 966.1 million. “We have made a successful start to the 2023/24 financial year and are especially pleased with the continuing healthy profit trend in the Sugar segment and the good performance in the Fruit segment, where structural measures to boost profitability of the fruit preparations business are already producing results. In the Starch segment, the expectation of a challenging financial year was proved correct in the first three months. EBIT declined significantly in this business segment, due especially to a lower ethanol performance driven by sales prices,” explains AGRANA CEO Markus Mühleisen.
Results in each business segment for the first quarter of 2023/24
Fruit segment
The Fruit segment’s revenue in the first quarter was EUR 401.1 million, up 11.2 % from one year earlier. The revenue expansion both in the fruit preparations and fruit juice concentrate businesses was the result of price changes. EBIT of the segment as a whole increased to EUR 24.4 million in the first three months of the financial year (Q1 prior year: EUR 19.9 million). The earnings result in fruit preparations was significantly above the year-ago level. The improvement was attributable mainly to a positive business performance in the Europe region. The fruit juice concentrate business as well further grew its earnings compared to the already very good year-earlier quarter. This was driven by improved contribution margins of apple juice concentrate made from the 2022 crop.
Starch segment
The Starch segment’s revenue of EUR 317.1 million in the first quarter was steady year-on-year (Q1 prior year: EUR 319.1 million), as lower sales volumes coincided with higher selling prices. Across most product categories, customers now are not fully utilising sales contracts that were concluded in fall and winter 2022 against the backdrop of the then-prevailing tight availability and resulting high market prices. Demand for native and modified food starches as well as saccharification products is more restrained, even in the normally stable food market. Many customers are facing weaker consumption and are increasingly running down their inventories. At EUR 22.1 million, EBIT in the Starch segment was down significantly from one year earlier (Q1 prior year: EUR 29.3 million). A key reason lay in the low-margin ethanol business, as a result of a considerable decline in Platts quotations.
Sugar segment
Revenue in the Sugar segment was EUR 247.9 million, up 20.0 % from the first quarter of the previous year. This growth was driven by a substantial increase in sugar selling prices. EBIT, at EUR 17.0 million, represented a marked improvement from the year-earlier period. The Sugar segment’s very good EBIT in the first quarter of 2023|24 reflected the significantly increased sugar sales prices in particular, as well as many reorganisation measures taken previously.
Created with gamers for gamers, the new Coca-Cola® Ultimate Zero Sugar represents a bold, kinetic expression of Experience Points (+XP), the universal unit of rewards players earn as they progress through a game. The latest limited-edition Coca-Cola Creations drop was crafted in collaboration with League of Legends developer Riot Games.
Coca‑Cola® Ultimate Zero Sugar’s striking packaging design fuses elements of both iconic brands, taking visual cues from League of Legends lore – including a bespoke “Ultimate” crest with a blue Hextech backlit glow, a Spencerian Script inspired by Nexus crystals in “Runeterra” and a bold, gold-and-back manifestation of the Coca-Cola Creations logo.
“Coca-Cola Creations is all about creating unique and authentic experiences anchored in youth passions, and gaming is one of the largest and fastest-growing communities in the world,” said Oana Vlad, Senior Director, Global Strategy, The Coca-Cola Company. “We dipped our toes into this space last year with Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte and the artist Marshmello’s limited-edition Coca-Cola, but this is the first time we have partnered with a gaming company to develop a Coca-Cola flavour.”
Coca-Cola Ultimate Zero Sugar will be sold for a limited time in the United States, Canada, China, South Korea, Latin America and Africa. A full-sugar version is available in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“We’re excited for players to taste the new +XP flavour, a unique and bespoke collaboration with Coca-Cola, a globally recognised brand loved by millions,” said David Mulhall, Head of Business Development and Partnerships at Riot Games. “They share many of the player-focused values we have at Riot, and we are honoured to be the first gaming collaboration for Coca-Cola Creations.”
The holistic product experience celebrates every player’s gaming journey. Like the six preceding Coca-Cola Creation drops, Coca-Cola Ultimate Zero Sugar will bridge the virtual and real worlds with a series of disruptive digital and IRL activations. League of Legends players can put their skills to the test via a series of in-game missions that unlock a sequence of limited-edition Ultimate Emotes through July 18.
Fans also can scan an on-pack QR code to access the Coca-Cola® Creations Hub, where they can access a League of Legends-inspired Ultimate Emote Generator Instagram filter, pre-order a custom Coca-Cola Ultimate Zero Sugar mini fridge by Cooluli, and upload a selfie to see themselves in their Ultimate form on a cinematic gaming journey.
“The super-personalised experience lets anyone – not just League of Legends enthusiasts – become the hero of their own Ultimate journey,” said Natalia Suarez, Brand Director, Coca‑ColaTM, North America. “It pays off the idea that Coca-Cola is for everyone.”
Coca-Cola and Riot Games will bring the “Ultimate” experience to life with communities of passionate gamers around the world through League of Legends Nexus Crystals drop events in Los Angeles, Shanghai and Mexico City.
Coca-Cola Ultimate Zero Sugar builds on a longstanding collaboration between Coca-Cola and Riot Games celebrating the power of gaming to unite people around the world in competition and fandom. In 2022, the brands announced a multi-year global partnership to co-create unique fan experiences for League of Legends: Wild Rift and Wild Rift Esports. From 2014-2016, Coca-Cola teamed with League of Legends for its World Championship and created custom viewing experiences with highly coveted collectible merchandise in multiple countries through cinema partnerships.
With hundreds of millions of players globally, League of Legends continues to be one of the most-played competitive games in the world. A unique game that blends speed, strategy and high intensity, it has grown to become a global phenomenon over its decade-long history by hyper-serving its loyal communities.
“The idea that fueled Coca-Cola Ultimate was a celebration of the player’s journey,” said Chase Abraham, Director, Global Content & Creative, Coca-ColaTM. “Riot Games aspires to be the world’s most player-forward gaming company, and we see a lot of harmony between our values. A shared passion to get it right with players first and foremost drove the strategy and nature of what we wanted to deliver.”
Coca-Cola® Creations lends the iconic Coca-Cola brand to new expressions fueled by collaboration, creativity and connection. Each sequential, surprise-and-delight drop includes a limited-edition flavour– complemented by designs and experiences – inspired by music, gaming, sports and other consumer passion points. The Coca-Cola Ultimate Zero Sugar launch follows the six fantasy-flavoured Coca-Cola® Creations drops: Coca-Cola® Starlight, Coca-Cola® Zero Sugar Byte, the artist Marshmello’s Limited Edition Coca-Cola®, Coca-Cola® Dreamworld, Coca-Cola® Soul Blast and Coca-Cola® Move.
The European soft drinks sector achieved an impressive average 7.6 % sugar reduction between 2019 and 2022
The European soft drinks sector, represented by Unesda, announced further progress1 on its commitments to the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices,2 with strong results achieved in 2022 in its actions to create a healthier beverage system in Europe.
Ian Ellington, President of Unesda and Senior Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer for PepsiCo in Europe, comments: ‘’As a sector, we remain committed to making significant progress on our many EU Code of Conduct commitments. We have achieved impressive results in our health and nutrition actions and, in particular, in our sugar reduction, marketing and advertising practices and school policies.’’
Ellington added: ‘’The journey has not been easy. Rising inflation in 2022 significantly impacted our ability to use more recycled content in our packaging due to the challenges we faced in accessing food-grade feedstock for recycling. We need policy support to deliver fully circular beverage packaging and to continue advancing on our sugar reduction programme.’’
Among Unesda’s achievements are its actions to encourage European consumers towards healthier dietary habits:
The sector delivered a 6% reduction in average added sugars in its soft drinks between 2019 and 2022 across Europe, as indicated by data analytics and consulting company GlobalData. This represents an additional reduction of 4 percentage points within 1 year (between 2021 and 2022). It shows that Unesda is on track towards meeting its commitment to reduce average added sugars in its beverages3 by another 10 % in the EU-27 and in the UK between 2019 and 2025.4 The success of the sector’s reformulation efforts to reduce sugar largely relies on the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners to increase the offer of low- and no-calorie beverages. These ingredients should continue to be supported by public authorities and regulators to enable the sector to make further progress on sugar reduction.
Unesda corporate members achieved solid results regarding its marketing and advertising commitment, as demonstrated in the audits carried out by independent marketing and media consultancy Ebiquity (television) and the European Advertising Standards Alliance (websites, social media and influencers).5 The sector reached high compliance rates (98.7 % on TV, 92.9 % on company-owned websites, 94.1 % on company-owned social media profiles, and 100 % on influencer profiles), and is committed to continuing to work towards full compliance of its marketing and advertising commitment.
Unesda corporate members also reported to be highly compliant with the sector’s school policies6 in the four selected EU countries for its 2022 monitoring, conducted by third-party auditors BVA-BDRC:7
100 % (primary schools) and 92.3% (secondary schools) in Austria
100 % (primary schools) and 93.4% (secondary schools) in Italy
100 % (primary schools) and 100% (secondary schools) in Slovenia
100 % (primary schools) and 96.2% (secondary schools) in Sweden
Industry faces major challenges to accelerate packaging circularity
Unesda and its corporate members continued their actions to increase the amount of recycled plastic content in their beverage PET bottles to achieve the sector’s objective of using 50% recycled PET by 2025. The cost and availability of this material have been major challenges impacting these efforts. The most effective way to address this issue is to prioritise high-quality recycling in EU and national legislation by granting the sector a priority access right to the feedstock for recycling issued from its PET bottles. This will ensure that PET bottles are recycled into new beverage packaging in a closed-loop system, and are not being downcycled in non-food applications.
The way forward: Policy support is key
The European soft drinks sector remains determined to deliver on all its commitments but needs supportive policies in place to be successful.
In particular, the sector’s further actions to promote healthier lifestyles fully depend on support from EU public authorities and regulators for the use of ingredients assessed as safe by health authorities and on evidence-based dietary recommendations that do not denigrate or discriminate against any ingredient approved for use.
In order to accelerate the transition to full circularity of its packaging, Unesda calls for legislation supporting well-designed, industry-led Deposit Return Systems, the increased collection of beverage packaging across the EU and high-quality recycling through a priority access right to recycling feedstock to ensure a closed-loop system.
In addition, Unesda calls for a realistic regulatory framework on reuse that provides beverage producers flexibility to invest in the packaging mix that makes the most sense from environmental, economic, and consumer perspectives. This also includes considering all available reusable and refill options (at home and on the go) for the achievement of the reuse and refill targets proposed in the proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
Unesda will continue to engage with EU decision-makers in a constructive manner to help ensure policy predictability and coherence.
1Read Unesda’s 2022 progress report on its commitments to the EU Code of Conduct here. 2The EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices was launched by the European Commission in July 2021 and it is an integral part of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy to create a more sustainable food system in Europe. The EU Code of Conduct aims to encourage the entire food and drink sector to provide more sustainable and healthier food and beverage choices. 3Unesda’s sugar reduction commitment is applicable to all product categories under Unesda’s remit, including still drinks, carbonate drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, dilutables and iced teas, but excludes bottled water, 100 % juices, milk based and hot beverages. 4This will represent a 33 % overall reduction in average added sugars in soft drinks since 2000, building on past sugar reduction milestones that the sector achieved from 2015 to 2019 (14.6 % reduction on average) and from 2000 to 2015 (13.3 % reduction on average). 5Unesda corporate members started implementing an effective Responsible Marketing Code of Conduct in 2006 with its commitment to no marketing communication in printed media, websites or during broadcast programmes specifically aimed at children under 12. Since then, they have reinforced this commitment by extending the scope of media channels in which they do not market and advertise their soft drinks to the under-12s: cinemas in 2008 and the digital world, including company-owned websites, in 2018 when they also tightened the audience criteria and committed not to market and advertise their beverages when 35 % of the audience or more was under 12 years of age. As of 1 January 2022, Unesda corporate members extended the age range by committing not to advertise and market any of their soft drinks to children under 13 years across all media. This includes TV, radio, in print, in cinemas and online, including social media and other online platforms and sites (company-owned websites and video-sharing platforms such as YouTube). It also includes direct marketing, product placement, interactive games, outdoor marketing, mobile marketing and contracted influencers. Unesda corporate members also committed to lowering the audience threshold from 35 % to 30 % so that fewer young children are directly exposed to advertising for any of its soft drinks. 6Unesda and its members are committed not to sell any soft drinks in EU primary schools since 2006 (through direct distribution), and to only sell low- and no-calorie soft drinks in EU secondary schools since 2017 (through direct distribution), and only in non-branded vending machines. 7The monitoring of Unesda’s school commitment is performed every two years in a group of different countries where there is a voluntary school commitment in place to provide a diversified sample of larger and smaller countries from different parts of the EU.
IBC and NewTree Fruit Company to expand access to patented De-Sugaring Technology
InterContinental Beverage Capital and Travers City, MI-based NewTree Fruit Company (NTFC) are taking NTFC’s patented De-Sugaring Technology to the next level. The two companies will be collaborating on ways to bring NTFC’s revolutionary technology into IBC’s Bevnology product development facility in Tyron, GA (US).
Since 2016, IBC and NTFC have been working together to reduce sugar consumption among consumers of all demographics worldwide. With global patent approvals in the US, Europe, and Asia, NTFC’s De-Sugaring Technology has proven successful in reducing sugar to 1 g or less in an 8 oz juice-based product, while delivering great taste and the full nutritional value of two servings of fruit. Now, by integrating their technology into IBC’s client offerings, NTFC and IBC are poised to directly impact the speed-to-market while broadening product offerings for large global brands and businesses seeking a healthier, more flavourful offering with almost 0 sugar.
IBC founding partner, Stephen Horgan added “We have experimented with implementing this on a small scale since February and are extremely encouraged with the results. Working with NTFC, Louis Heinsz, our lead IBC partner at Bevnology Labs has been able to create a broad array of products that deliver these healthy consumer benefits with great taste across non-alcohol and alcohol products alike.”
Less sugar is a top priority for consumers today and there is an increasing expectation of healthier product solutions with reduced sugar which also deliver on taste. NewTree has cracked this code with their patented process that captures the authentic experience of fruit juice and can be utilised in a multitude of formulation applications. Consumers deserve products that meet this expectation and the many beverage and food offerings today, including the most popular brands on retailers’ shelves, fall short of delivering on this. The demand for healthier, low-sugar product solutions is rapidly increasing among consumers, and NTFC’s De-Sugaring Technology has emerged as the leading solution to this problem. By partnering with IBC, NTFC is even better positioned to bring its calorie reducing, de-sugaring technology to the forefront of the beverage industry and help more brands and companies to offer great tasting, healthy products to all consumers.
About InterContinental Beverage Capital, Inc. IBC is a New York-based advisory and investment firm focused on the beverage and consumer packaged goods industries. IBC has a worldwide network of strategic industry contacts, lending institutions, consultants, recruiters, and management teams. These sources provide expertise, industry capabilities, access to new customers, and valuable investment and commercial banking capabilities to partnership companies. IBC is actively seeking investments in its targeted verticals companies, which have unique products and dedicated management that exhibit the ability to develop into category leaders.
About NewTree Fruit Company NewTree Fruit Company is a Travers City, MI-based company dedicated to reducing sugar consumption among consumers worldwide. With its patented De-Sugaring Technology, NewTree has successfully reduced sugar to 1 g or less in an 8 oz juice-based product while maintaining taste and delivering the full nutritional value of two servings of fruit.
The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) has called the publication of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guideline on the use of non-sugar sweeteners a “disservice to public health”.
The WHO guideline, which the body itself admits is a conditional recommendation based on evidence of low-certainty, was published on 15 May 2023. It suggests that non-sugar sweeteners shouldn’t be used as a means of achieving weight control or reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases.
An ISA spokesperson said: “In light of the global effort to address the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including dental diseases which are the most prevalent NCD globally, and other societal challenges such as the global obesity crisis, the ISA believes it is a disservice to public health to not recognise low/no calorie sweeteners’ role in reducing sugar and calorie intake and aiding in weight control.
“The ISA believes this guideline should have been based on the comprehensive set of available evidence and interpreted considering the hierarchy and weight of scientific evidence. The WHO could only conclude a conditional recommendation, which is not scientifically rigorous, nor based on a robust evidence base or supported by the evidence presented in the WHO-commissioned systematic review itself.
“The ISA joins others, including relevant government agencies around the globe, who have responded to the public consultation on the draft guideline expressing their concerns about the conclusions and rationale used by WHO. The ISA agrees with the UK’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities that commented ‘the guideline may go too far’ and with the Australian government’s Department of Health and Aged Care who wrote that ‘the recommendation may result in undesirable health outcomes for some individuals.'”
ISA Chairman Bob Peterson added: “Food and beverage companies have reformulated products as part of a comprehensive, global effort to meet public health recommendations (including from the WHO) for sugar reduction. Low/no calorie sweeteners have enabled this innovation and ultimately contribute to the creation of healthier food environments by allowing people to enjoy food and drinks with less sugar and fewer calories, while still meeting their taste preferences.”
Prof Nita Forouhi, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, said: “The findings of the WHO report are justifiable for general populations of people without diabetes, based on the inclusion of all eligible evidence from multiple research study designs, but are limited by several factors, many of which the report acknowledged. Notably, the WHO recommendation on avoiding the use of non-sugar sweeteners for longer term weight management or chronic disease prevention is conditional, therefore context and country specific policy decisions may be needed rather than necessarily being universally implemented as they stand. The role of non-sugar sweeteners as a way to reduce calories in the short-term is, however, supported by evidence – so using sweeteners can be part of interventions to manage weight in the short term.”
Better Juice and GEA report successful pilot trials on clear juices, concentrates for leading fruit juice producers
FoodTech start-up Better Juice, Ltd. announces its highly successful completion of a series of pilot trials for reducing simple sugars in natural berry and other fruit juices. In partnership with GEA Group, one of the largest suppliers for food processing technology, Better Juice hosted several prominent forest fruit juice manufacturers from the EU, the U.S., Australia, and Brazil to give their personal brands a sugar-reduction makeover using their groundbreaking sugar-reduction technology.
The trials were conducted at the pilot unit established last year in GEA’s innovation center in Ahaus, Germany. Accommodating the GEA Better Juice Sugar Converter Skid, the site is equipped with continuous flow columns containing Better Juice’s sugar-reducing beads. During the trials, the team was able to reduce the simple sugar content by 30 % and 50 % across a range of forest fruit juices, including strawberry, cherry, and blueberry, while preserving their characteristic flavours and textures.
“Forest fruit juices contain 10 % or more sugar, with berry and cherry juices comprised of 10 % – 20 % sucrose and the remainder fructose and glucose,” explains Eran Blachinsky, co-founder and Co-CEO of Better Juice. “Our technology reduces the loads of all three of these simple sugars. This will allow more people to enjoy berry-based juices.”
Forming Better Juice’s proprietary sugar-reduction beads are non-GMO microorganisms that naturally convert the juice’s composition of sucrose, glucose, and fructose into prebiotic oligosaccharides and other non-digestible fibers, while retaining their natural complement of vital nutrients.
“By implementing a ‘plug-and-play’ approach, we were able to produce fruit drinks with the same nutritional value and mouthfeel as the original products, with only a slightly toned-down sweetness,” reports Gali Yarom, Better Juice co-founder and Co-CEO. “The feedback was most promising, with several companies expressing a strong interest in continuing to work with us to bring these products to market. We are currently in advanced discussions with several major US-based fruit juice companies to install our technology in their juice production systems. We project sugar-reduced forest fruit juices will reach the shelves early next year.”
The treatment process proved successful for both clear NFC (not from concentrate) juices and dense concentrates as well as pulp-retained juices. A significant number of juice manufacturers worldwide use concentrates to reduce shipping costs by evaporating the water and adding it back in at the destination during bottling.
Forest fruit juices are naturally abundant in pulp, which is why many juice companies strive to retain these fiber-rich fruit solids in their products. Better Juice’s technology has been designed to handle pulp and ensure it remains in the juice, eliminating the need for filtering. This not only helps to preserve the nutritional benefits of the fruit, but also delivers a satisfying texture that consumers love.
“Since the opening of the pilot facility last year, we have hosted dozens of companies from all over the world to test their juice brands on our technology as well as on other fruit-based products, such as jams,” adds Michael Harenkamp, Sales Support Engineer for Non-Alcoholic Beverages for GEA. “We are excited by the emerging demand for naturally sugar-reduced juices in the marketplace. Some of the participants are major global players who have expressed genuine enthusiasm about our combined solution and the prospect of giving their products a new competitive edge with lowered-sugar fruit juices that are still as nutritious and refreshingly delicious.”
Lipton Ice Tea, the number one ready-to-drink tea brand1, is relaunching its range in a modernised design with a packaging makeover for all flavours. The packaging refresh is also accompanied by a reduction in sugar across the core range of Peach, Lemon, and Green Mint & Lime. The reduction will help the brand continue to appeal to the growing number of shoppers on the lookout for lower sugar options without any compromise on taste.
Half of shoppers say they are actively reducing the amount of sugar they consume2, which makes it the perfect time for Lipton’s relaunch. The new and improved drinks will maintain Lipton’s refreshing fruity taste and offer shoppers a lower sugar alternative, without compromising on great flavour.
As the leading brand in ready-to-drink tea3, Lipton Ice Tea’s value grew + 27 % in 20224 with further opportunities to grow as it taps into the 50 % of shoppers who choose food and drink products with reduced or no sugar content5. As a soft drinks segment, ready-to-drink tea represents a trade up opportunity for retailers, holding a price point of £2.43 per litre on average, versus the wider soft drinks’ £1.34 per litre6. This represents a premium option for consumers, and allows retailers to offer a full range of soft drinks which caters to multiple tastes and wallets.
The relaunched range will roll out across all channels from March 2023.
The new Lipton Ice Tea recipes are the latest lower sugar offering from Britvic, with continued innovation and reformulation programmes enabling the company to offer consumers healthier choices as part of ist Healthier People sustainability strategy. In 2022, this meant 96 % of its innovation launches were low or no calorie drinks – with an average of around 14 calories per serve across its Great Britain portfolio.
1NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Ready-To-Drink Ice Tea value sales, Britvic Defined 5Y, 31st Dec 2022 2Mintel – Attitudes towards Sugar and Sweeteners – UK – 2021 3NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage GB, Ready-To-Drink Ice Tea value sales, Britvic Defined 5Y, 31st Dec 2022 4NielsenIQ RMS, Total Coverage, RTD Ice Tea value sales, Britvic Defined, MAT we 31.12.2022 5Mintel – Attitudes towards Sugar and Sweeteners – UK – 2021 6NielsenIQ RMS – Total Coverage, Total Soft Drinks Britvic Defined, Average Price Point MAT we 31.12.2022
vitaminwater® announced the addition of two new flavours – ‘with love’ and ‘forever you’ – to its zero sugar lineup, plus an innovative reformulation for all six zero sugar flavours. The new zero sugar reformulation offers our latest sweetener formula that includes monk fruit and stevia in addition to added vitamins and nutrients. The products are now available in the US at mass retailers, grocery stores and convenience stores.
The new flavours serve as an extension of vitaminwater’s promise to ‘nourish every you.’ Inspired by the notion that multiple sides of “you” have needs, vitaminwater encourages individuals to nourish each and every one. Whether your body, your emotions, or your complexities, vitaminwater has something in its suite of products to celebrate your multifaceted self.
Joining vitaminwater’s zero-sugar rainbow of flavours, ‘with love’ and ‘forever you’ provide new nutrition that can add positivity for each of your “yous”:
‘with love’ is delightfully infused with raspberry and dark chocolate for a unique taste. The nutrient-enhanced water beverage features a liquid boost of magnesium (85 mg) to help support heart health and 100 % antioxidant vitamin C alongside vitamin A (25 %) and vitamin E (30 %).
‘forever you’ contains tropical coconut lime flavours with white curcumin (18 mg) alongside 100 % antioxidant vitamin C, vitamin A (25 %) and vitamin E (30 %). Both drinks are a great source of vitamin b3, vitamin b5, vitamin b6, and vitamin b12.
Twenty-one years after Monster Energy first ripped onto the scene and changed the beverage industry forever – it’s finally here: Monster Energy Zero Sugar.
With a full launch in Q1 of 2023, consumers can finally enjoy the amazing taste of the flagship original Monster Energy Green… but without sugar.
With a re-tooled energy blend, an innovative new sweetener system and years of trial and error, Monster’s team of mad scientists finally perfected a concoction that is 100 % Monster and 0 % sugar. Primed with 160mg of caffeine – like its predecessor – Monster Energy Zero Sugar helps fight fatigue, improve mental performance and focus, and motivates you to work (and play) harder.
Louis Dreyfus Company B.V. announced the successful development of a new product made from not-from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice, presenting a 30 % reduction in natural sugar content and more than triple dietary fiber content, while preserving original taste (Brix value) and vitamin C level.
Further to a five-year research effort by the Group’s in-house R&D laboratory team of food engineers, chemists and biotechnologists in Bebedouro, São Paulo State, Brazil, LDC has developed a successful process to reduce sugar content in orange juice, in line with the company’s commitment to offer nutritious, high-quality juices that address growing consumer demand.
“Complementing our extensive portfolio of juices and ingredients from Brazilian-grown citrus fruits, this new product represents another positive step in LDC’s strategy to diversify revenue through value-added products, including specialty ingredients and products like this one,” said Juan José Blanchard, LDC’s Global Head of Juice. “Leveraging our global network and partnerships, LDC aims to bring this new product to the global market in collaboration with leading beverage industry players, contributing to the advent of healthy, nutritious juice product options that respond to consumer expectations, while continuing to invest in R&D activities targeting further reductions in sugar content.”
Although commercial roll-out is initially focused on Asia Pacific, with an initial launch planned in early 2023 in China, the new product is available to industry customers worldwide, including in Europe, North America and South America, where the Group sees growing consumer demand for healthy, nutritious, great-tasting diet options.
New facility aligns with ESG principles, enables scale-up of start-up’s fruit juice sugar-reducing tech
Sugar-reduction foodTech start-up Better-Juice, Ltd. launches its first full-capacity manufacturing plant setting the wheels in motion for full commercial production of its proprietary sugar-reducing immobilised enzymes. The new facility will enable the company to fulfill current commissions from juice producers globally, as well as respond to anticipated new demands.
The groundbreaking technology developed by the Israeli start-up produces proprietary beads composed of non-GMO microorganisms that naturally convert the juice’s composition of fruit sugars including sucrose, glucose and fructose into better-for-you prebiotic and other non-digestible fibers.
The new site—located in the Nes Ziona science park south of Tel Aviv—is replete with commercial-scale equipment, including an industrial fermenter and industrial immobilisation processor. The specialised equipment is used for growing and harvesting the beaded microorganisms used in producing Better Juice’s immobilised sugar-reducing enzymes. The site also houses pilot labs and the company’s new headquarters.
The new plant has a production capacity to support sugar-reduction of 250 million liters of juice per year. Better Juice has entered into commitments with a number of juice companies to reduce the sugar loads in various fruit juices, including apple, orange, and pineapple juices.
Better Juice’s technology can reduce up to 80 % of the simple sugar content in fruit juices and fruit-based condiments without any degradation of naturally occurring nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It does not dilute the product in a way, maintaining the body and full flavour of the juice and only gently reducing the sweetness. Better Juice’s groundbreaking technology decreases the naturally occurring simple sugar loads in a versatile range of products, including juices, jams, yoghurts, ice creams, sorbets, and more, to the food and beverages manufacturers desired levels.
“This move marks a major leap forward in our commercialisation efforts,” enthuses Gali Yarom, Co-Founder and Co-CEO. “We project that the new plant will accommodate our production needs for the next four years. As interest and demand in our technology continue to flourish in the global fruit juice sphere, we will expand our production capabilities outside of Israel as well.” Wired magazine recently rated Better Juice as one on of the 10 most promising start-ups in Israel.
Better Juice’s facility and operations also maintain high alignment to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) principles. The biodegradable polymer beads are rechanneled to livestock feed after being used in the production phase, minimising waste. The bioreactors, which have a 20-year lifespan, can be controlled remotely, reducing the company’s need for travel and its subsequent carbon footprint. Only a small amount of energy is required to activate the bioreactors. On a social level, the company boasts a 50 % female workforce and assists manufacturers of fruit-based products to comply with the various “sugar tax” regulations in the regions where they operate.
“We had to design and construct specialised systems from scratch to support our unique production processes while taking environmental considerations into account and adhering to the strictest requirements for waste treatment, water recycling, and energy efficiency,” notes Henry Elkoby, Chief Engineer of Better Juice.
“Better Juice was founded with the vision of promoting the overall well-being of people globally,” asserts Eran Blachinsky, co-founder and co-CEO of Better Juice. “The realisation that also naturally squeezed fruit juice can harbor high quantities of simple sugar is what sparked the creation of the Better Juice technology,” adds Blachinsky. “It has been an incredible journey seeing our concept evolve into fruition, and onto the global market so that more people around the world can enjoy the full flavour and nutritional benefits of fruit juices.”
Better Juice was founded in 2018 as one of the first start-ups to be nurtured by The Kitchen FoodTech Hub. “Better Juice brings a new hope for juice manufacturers and consumers, by reversing the perception of natural fruit juices as overly sugary products and turning juices into better-for-you beverages,” says Amir Zaidman, Chief Business Officer of The Kitchen Hub and a Better Juice board member. “The company offers a truly better juice product by reducing the sugars while maintaining their natural profile of vitamins, minerals and fibers.”
Uncle Matt’s Organic®, #1 selling brand of organic orange juice in the US, announced the launch of two new offerings for kids: No Sugar Added Lemonade Juice Boxes and No Sugar Added Strawberry Lemonade Juice Boxes. The shelf-stable line contains zero added sugars, is sweetened with stevia and boosted with 150 % DV Vitamin C, plus 25 % DV Vitamin D and Zinc for immune support. This lunchbox essential is rolling out now, just in time for back-to-school season, at select retailers nationwide including Whole Foods Market, The Fresh Market and MOM’s Organic Market.
Lemonade Juice Box Fast Facts:
10 Calories per 6.7 oz serving/carton
150 % DV Vitamin C per serving
25 % DV Vitamin D per serving
25 % DV Zinc per serving
Not from concentrate lemon juice and strawberry puree (never concentrated!)
Sweetened with organic stevia
No toxic pesticides, GMOs or artificial junk
USDA certified organic
Certified glyphosate residue free by The Detox Project
According to the American Heart Association, the average American consumes more than three times the recommended amount of sugar. The number for kids is even worse, as they are consuming 81 grams per day, equaling over 65 pounds of added sugar per year. American children are ingesting over 30 gallons of added sugars from beverages alone.
Finding ways to reduce intake without sacrificing on taste is key. When exploring alternatives to table sugar, the American Heart Association has stated that leaning on natural alternatives to sugar, like stevia, may be your best option. Uncle Matt’s Organic® No Sugar Added Lemonade Juice Boxes and No Sugar Added Strawberry Lemonade Juice Boxes contain organic Reb M Stevia, which delivers the desired, sugar-like sweetness that consumers want, with zero calories, and without the health concerns associated with artificial sweeteners.
Uncle Matt’s Organic® No Sugar Added Lemonade Juice Boxes and No Sugar Added Strawberry Lemonade Juice Boxes are now available for an SRP of USD 4.99 (8-pack of 6.7oz boxes). 1 Year Shelf-Life.
Tango is continuing to give the tastebuds in the UK a spanking with the launch of its popular apple flavour in a sugar free format. Tango Apple Sugar Free is the latest addition to the popular range, tapping into the growing demand for sugar free products. It captures that same great Apple Original taste, sugar free.
The Tango brand has doubled in size in the last five years, becoming the fourth largest brand in the fruit flavoured carbonates category1. Now worth over £61million2, Tango is well placed to continue its growth through sugar free flavours, which currently deliver £25million (+ 54 % vs last year) in value sales3. Tango Apple has a lot of heritage and has seen multiple organic social campaigns asking to bring it back in more pack formats. To satisfy consumer demand for sugar free flavours4 and, as the number one factor when choosing soft drinks is low sugar content5, it is the perfect time to introduce Tango Apple in a sugar free formulation.
Ben Parker, Retail Commercial Director at Britvic commented: “Tango has a proven track record when it comes to new product development with Tango Berry Peachy Sugar- Free the number one new fruit flavoured carbonate in 20226. Tango’s long heritage with the apple flavour and strong taste credentials, mean Tango Apple Sugar Free is well placed to continue this success and drive growth.”
Britvic is a leader in healthier soft drinks and well over 90 % of its brands in the UK are either no or low sugar drinks. Globally, its portfolio contains an average of 25 calories per 250 ml serve, with drinks in its Great Britain market being even lower.
Tango Apple Sugar Free is available in Tesco now and launches from mid-September across the wider market in a range of pack sizes.
1Nielsen IQ RMS, Fruit Carbonates Britvic Defined, Total Coverage, Value Sales, MAT 23.4.22 2Nielsen IQ RMS, Fruit Carbonates, Britvic Defined, Total Coverage Value sales MAT to 23.7.22 3Nielsen IQ RMS, Fruit Carbonates, Britvic Defined, Total Coverage Value sales MAT to 23.7.22 4Lumina Intelligence Channel Pulse, October 2021 5Mintel Soft Drinks Review – UK – June 2021 6Nielsen IQ RMS, Fruit Carbonates, Britvic Defined, Total Coverage Value sales MAT to 23.7.22
Starting in mid-July 2022, GEA and Israeli start-up Better Juice will conduct product tests on behalf of beverage manufacturers looking to lower the sugar content in drinks. To provide the service, the new GEA Better Juice Sugar Converter Skid, which the industrial systems supplier developed based on the Better Juice process, has been installed at the GEA Test Center in Ahaus, Germany. With this innovative solution for the juice industry, GEA is raising the profile of the Ahaus facility as a key hub for piloting aseptic processing and filling of sensitive foods and beverages.
Test Center provides solutions for unique product requirements
“We can now collaborate with our customers at the Test Center to strike the ideal balance between a sweet note and reduced sugar content,” says Gali Yarom, co-founder and joint CEO of Better Juice. To that end, the microbiologists from Better Juice will join forces with GEA’s specialist engineers to support and guide companies in running trials. The GEA Test Center at Ahaus will provide laboratory services dedicated to testing all important analytical parameters.
“It’s often necessary to initially demystify innovative solutions like the Better Juice process. That’s why it’s all the more important to make the case for the technology with manufacturers in person,” says Sascha Wesely who leads the Non-Alcoholic Beverages business at GEA. “The Ahaus trials help us optimize process efficiency right from the outset. By running scalable tests under real-life conditions, we significantly cut the time to market.”
A scalable, enzymatic solution to removing up to 80 percent of sugar from fresh juices
Thanks to a patented enzymatic process, this is the world’s first solution that naturally reduces the sugar content of fruit drinks by up to 80 percent, without affecting its nutritional value or authentic taste. The juice flows continuously through a bioreactor containing GMO-free, immobilized microorganisms which convert simple sugars into prebiotic, non-digestible molecules that benefit the intestinal flora. As a result, the GEA Better Juice Sugar Converter Skid succeeds in removing up to 80 percent of the sugar in natural fruit juices, concentrates as well as fruit-based mixtures, such as purees. At the end of 2021, the partners won their first commercial order from a company in the U.S. where, once integrated into production, the system will create juices with much less sugar.
Reducing sugar levels in everything from carbonated soft drinks and seltzers to dairy shakes has never been a higher priority for beverage brands and their suppliers globally.
Treatt’s sugar reduction capabilities are growing with the introduction of its new Brix Booster products.
The range extension follows the success of the first Brix Booster, and is in response to increasing consumer demand for authentic, sugar-like flavours which meet healthier living needs without compromising on taste.
The expanded range offers unique blends of all natural sweet ingredients, essences and aromas that do not add calories to finished beverages, delivering everything from subtle sugar cane notes, through to bold sugar profiles with rich molasses nuances.
Brix boosting benefits
Increases sweetness perception
Improves mouthfeel
Improves authentic sugar profile when formulating with high intensity sweeteners (HIS)
Lifts overall flavour profile of beverage
The Brix Boosters increase the perception of sweetness within a beverage while improving mouthfeel adding a more authentic sugar like profile. Because they contain the volatile aromas from natural sweet foodstuffs that have been specifically selected, they slot into a beverage formulation without disrupting the overall profile.
Rosie Travers, Health & Wellness Category Manager at Treatt comments: “Our Brix Boosters can be used as a sugar flavour ingredient in sugar free, low and reduced sugar formulations, or in conjunction with natural or synthetic high intensity sweeteners. This natural flavour provides an authentic sucrose impression to the sweetness profile. We have seen success across a wide range of applications in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. They deliver a sugar-like taste, rounded sweetness, improved mouthfeel, and lasting sugar flavour that works harmoniously within the flavour profile of the beverage.”
Introducing the range: 3 sugar taste profiles for any application
Brix Booster 9884 has a mild sugar flavour profile, reminiscent of unrefined sugar or sugar cane. Works well with flavoured waters, lemonade, citrus and berry flavour beverage applications.
Brix Booster 9885 has a rich sugar flavour profile, reminiscent of light brown sugar. Works well with orangeade, cola, tonic, tropical and berry flavour beverage applications.
Brix Booster 9886 delivers a bold sugar flavour profile, reminiscent of brown sugar with notes of dried fruits and molasses. Works well with iced tea, coffee, cola, ginger beer, brown and robust flavour beverage applications.
SKNY BTCH manufactures sugar free Vodka Soda in different flavours, that appeal to anyone who craves a refreshing drink with an extra twist and less calories. SKNY BTCH is now launching Vodka Shots for those hot summer nights. The alcohol content is 14,9% and these shots contains 50 – 70 % less sugar in comparison with other sweet & sour shots. Both flavours in Raspberry and Green Apple are now available at Systembolaget in Sweden and can be ordered whith wholesaleprices from Savings Mat & Dryck Ltd. internationally.
Green apple is very fruity and has a sweet character with a hint of vanilla. Raspberry has a sweet and berry character with a distinct taste of raspberry. The shots are to be served chilled and are a good choice both as a social drink and at more festive events and parties.
SKNY BTCH Vodka Shot is a good compliment at restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The drinks are produced by the family business Savings Mat & Dryck Ltd. that produce, distribute and market SKNY BTCH Vodka Soda and Shot. The drinks are produced at Värmdo, located in the Stockholm archipelago.
Naturally grown mini-mangos are fragrant, sweet, and are edible with the skin
Goldenberry Farms™ has begun shipping the initial boxes of Sweet Sugar Mangos™, an ultra-sweet and miniature mango variety, trademarked by the company. These naturally grown tree mangos easily fit in the palm of your hand and are unique due to their ability to be eaten with their skin, giving it the nickname of “lunchbox mango.”
The Sweet Sugar Mango has a red, fragrant flesh with a sweet juicy taste and a brix level of 22. Unlike some other exotic mangos, Sweet Sugar Mangos™ do not have a fibrous taste. These miniature mangos are grown naturally, non-GMO, and have a peak harvest season of April through September.
Sweet Sugar Mangos™ are exclusively grown commercially in the Magdalena Region of Colombia, close to Santa Marta on the Caribbean Coast. The tropical environment and unique locale create an ideal microclimate for this specialty fruit. The small fruit is highlighted for its extreme popularity in the region.
Sweet Sugar Mangos™ are offered commercially in 2 kilo (4.5 pound) cases, which hold between 18 – 24 mangos each. Specially branded retail kits and mini boxes are available to merchandise the Sugar Mangos™ in store.
Goldenberry Farms™ expects to offer up to 6,000 cases weekly of Sugar Mangos™ and Sweet Sugar Mangos™. The fruit is available to customers globally, and pending the final permissions for entering the USA market, which is expected for this season.
Sugar Mangos™ and Sweet Sugar Mangos™ are exclusive trademarks of Goldenberry Farms, LLC, and are available to be used under license by qualified growers, distributors, and importers.
Five things to know about fruit juice, from experts at the Fruit Juice Science Centre
A poll1 of more than 3000 adults, commissioned by the Fruit Juice Science Centre, has found that two thirds of Brits (65 %) and more than a third of French and German adults (34 %) drink 100 % fruit juice to support their immune function. The beverage was most frequently listed after fruit and vegetables amongst the top immunity-support foods.
However, there was less awareness about the nutrients provided in fruit juice, with just half of adults overall agreeing that a daily glass is rich in vitamins and minerals. Fewer than a fifth in France and Germany, and a third in the UK, knew that antioxidants – such as vitamin C – can be found in fruit juice. And most didn’t realise that fruit juice contains polyphenols – beneficial plant compounds also found in fruit, vegetables, and cocoa.
With internet searches on vitamin C soaring during the pandemic, nevertheless four in ten Brits and Germans, and more than half of French didn’t know that vitamin C is necessary for healthy immune function. This is despite six in 10 being more aware of immune health since the pandemic.
Commenting on the survey, Dr Carrie Ruxton from the Fruit Juice Science Centre said: “Awareness of how a glass of fruit juice supports normal immunity has improved but there are still some misconceptions. Considering that 100 % juice is simply squeezed fruit – and has practically identical sugars, vitamins, and positive bioactive compounds compared with whole fruit – there is still a lot of nonsense claimed about fruit juice.
“A key myth is that sugar is added to fruit juice, which it isn’t since that would be illegal in the EU and UK. Another is that the vitamin C in packaged fruit juice is destroyed – that’s also untrue. Neither is it correct to say that pure fruit juice contains preservatives and colours, although thankfully only one in 10 people in our Poll believed that.”
Five facts on fruit juice – from the Fruit Juice Science Centre
Just one small glass of 100 % fruit juice provides more than 80 % of the vitamin C recommendation. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and essential for normal immunity;
Orange juice is one of the richest sources of hesperidin, a polyphenol that has anti-inflammatory effects;
Fruit juice is high in potassium, a mineral that helps to control blood pressure;
It takes one or two oranges to make a 150 ml glass of fruit juice and all the sugars in fruit juice come from the fruits used to make them – none is added;
Apple, orange, and grapefruit juices are all low GI (glycaemic index) meaning that they raise blood sugars more slowly compared with high GI foods, such as rice, bread, or sugar-sweetened drinks.
How about sugar
The Fruit Juice Science Centre poll found that eight in 10 adults believe that 100 % fruit is not high in sugar. Additionally, a quarter of Brits (24 %) and Germans (28 %), and more than a third of French (35 %), think that pure fruit juice is actually low in sugar. The reality is that a typical glass of orange juice contains the same level of natural sugars (around 13 g) as a couple of oranges.
Dr Ruxton says: “Fruit juice is enjoyed by millions of people every day and most seem to recognise that it has a positive role in the diet. Given that most of the sugar we eat comes from sugar-sweetened drinks, biscuits, cakes, confectionery and desserts – foods which are low in essential nutrients – it’s clear where we need to turn our attention to cut sugar intakes.”
1Independent poll of 1029 UK adults, 1021 French adults and 1012 German adults; data on file.
A new study suggests substituting 100 % fruit juice in the diet in place of beverages containing added sugars may lower health risks for cardiovascular-related disease, including type-2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
Researchers performed a modeling analysis simulating the substitution of 100 % fruit juices for fruit and sugar-sweetened beverages in more than 34,000 Dutch participants ages 20 to 70. The findings, published in Public Health Nutrition, support previous research and hypotheses suggesting that substituting fruit juice for sugar-sweetened beverages would be associated with lower cardiometabolic risk with no change in risk when fruit juice was substituted for fruit.
When more than three-quarters of sugar-sweetened beverages in the diet were replaced with 100 % fruit juice, researchers found the risk for diabetes was lowered by 17 % when compared to the lowest substitution level of less than one-quarter. A similar substitution analysis found the risk for coronary heart disease was reduced by 12 %. Substituting 100 % fruit juice for whole fruit resulted in no change in risks. These calculations were made while considering other factors such as age, sex, educational level, physical activity, smoking, family history of diabetes, healthy diet index, alcohol, coffee, fruit intake, body mass index, and waist circumference.
“100 % fruit juice is frequently equated to sugar-sweetened beverages because of similar sugar content, but this study suggests their effects on diabetes and heart disease risk could be very different,” said Gail Rampersaud, Florida Department of Citrus registered dietitian nutritionist. “Substituting nutrient dense 100 % orange juice for sugar-sweetened beverages may be quite beneficial toward enhancing the intake of key nutrients, meeting daily fruit recommendations, reducing the intake of added sugars as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and reducing the risks for some health conditions.”
Other research supports findings that the consumption of 100 % orange juice or 100 % fruit juice is not related to risk of metabolic syndrome or diabetes and may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. Eight ounces of 100 % orange juice is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium, folate, and thiamin. Oranges and 100 % orange juice are the primary dietary sources of the polyphenol, hesperidin, which may have beneficial effects on blood pressure in some individuals.
Seed-round, led by iAngels, will propel production and technology to reduce sugars in fruit juice
Better Juice, Ltd., the first company to reduce all sugars from natural juices, announces it has raised US$8M in seed-round investment. This new influx of support was led by iAngels, Israel and includes investors: Maverick Ventures, Israel; Food Tech Lab TFTL, Spain; The Kitchen Hub, Israel, as part of the Strauss Group and IIA; NEOME, Israel; Schestowitz Group, Israel; and Semillero, Puerto Rico.
The start-up’s enzymatic technology uses all-natural ingredients to convert fructose, glucose, and sucrose into prebiotic dietary fibers and other non-digestible molecules. Reducing up to 80 % of all sugars, Better Juice’s non-GMO technology is designed to target orange juice’s specific sugar composition to naturally create a low-calorie, reduced-sugar product with a delicate sweetness. Better Juice opened a pilot plant in January 2021, an important milestone in the startup’s commercial scale-up timeline.
Better Juice will use the investment to build its first full-scale manufacturing plant in Israel to serve the growing demand. The high-tech plant will increase production capacity by 40-fold while generating up to US$50M sales annually. The company will use the funds to expand the sales and marketing teams to support its commercialization stage.
“We are excited to complete this investment round with the support of leading venture capital and CPG companies from around the globe,” says Eran Blachinsky, PhD, founder and CEO of Better Juice. “This investment will enable us to accelerate our growth and expand into other product lines, such as ice cream, soft drinks, and jam.”
About Better Juice Better Juice was founded in 2018 by Eran Blachinsky, PhD, in collaboration with the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. The company was incubated in The Kitchen Hub – Strauss Group’s foodtech and IIA incubator, and received early funding from Maverick Ventures, Israel and other global partners.
Singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding has acquired a significant stake in the premium British hard seltzer brand SERVED.
Ellie was introduced to Ryan and Dean Ginsberg, the co-founders of SERVED through mutual friends and says she “immediately fell in love with the brand – not only because it’s the best hard seltzer I’ve tasted by quite some margin, but also because this is a brand driven by care and respect for the natural world at this crucial point.”
“I’ve always enjoyed a social drink with friends, but I also lead a busy lifestyle and I am passionate about my health, fitness, and the environment. Served is a brand that allows me to have it all – a delicious and refreshing alcoholic drink without all the calories, sugar and bad stuff.”
Ellie, a global goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme since 2017 adds, “We are going to take on some of the biggest brands on the planet, but do it our way. We refuse to compromise on quality nor the health of the natural world. We use ‘wonky fruit’ as an intervention on food waste, the most innovative ecological packaging materials we can think of and we will support habitats, people and animals on the frontline of the nature crisis. We will continue to be 100 % transparent. Oh, and we’ll do all this while having fun and building an awesome brand with awesome people.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Ellie as a co-owner of SERVED and excited to build a global brand alongside her. Ellie embodies everything that we stand for at SERVED, and she will be an integral part of the brand as we continue to grow” says Dean Ginsberg.
SERVED is already available in the UK with high-profile listings including Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Planet Organic and WHSmith – and will continue to expand its retail footprint alongside significant growth in key international markets including Ireland, France and Spain. Regarding their expansion, Ginsberg continued “we are excited to be working with such great partners who share our enthusiasm and vision for the brand, and we look forward to introducing SERVED to more people up and down the country and across Europe this summer.”
SERVED is crafted in Herefordshire, where Ellie grew up, by infusing sparkling spring water with wonky fruit and pairing this with their own ServedPureTM spirit. The result is a refreshing 4 % ABV plant-based, gluten-free hard seltzer with a crisp, fresh flavour, and a touch of natural sweetness. Designed for the modern health-conscious consumer, SERVED only contains 57 calories and zero sugar.
Committed to reducing food waste and environmental impact as much as possible, SERVED Hard Seltzers are packaged in fully recyclable cans, use wonky fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste, and contain no artificial additives or sweeteners. Committed to inspiring the industry as a whole todo better, 5 % of profits from each can sold are invested towards environmental projects and saving critically endangered species around the world.
‘No added sugar’ claims are growing in Europe, with the UK leading the charge as it has the highest proportion (15 %) of European food and drink launches carrying this claim in the past five years, followed by Germany (13 %) and France (10 %). In Poland, ‘no added sugar’ claims have doubled since 2016, reaching 9 % of food and drink launches in 2021.
According to Mintel’s latest consumer research, almost three out of five (59 %) French and German consumers are trying to limit their sugar intake, rising to 65 % of respondents in Poland and 67 % in Spain. However, over half of German (54 %) and (53 %) French* consumers simply prefer eating less indulgent products instead of consuming more ‘light/diet’ alternatives. This is especially true for carbonated soft drinks, with Polish (38 %)** and German (37 %)** consumers being the most likely to agree that ‘better-for-you’ carbonated soft drinks do not feel like a treat.
Neha Srivastava, Food and Drink Patent Analyst at Mintel, said:
“The pandemic has amplified the need for indulgence, influencing consumers’ choice of food and drink. At the same time, the pandemic has seen people place a higher priority on their health by, for example, reducing their sugar intake – but they don’t want to compromise on taste.
“Food and drink companies are starting to pay more attention to cutting sugar from their products. Based on the percentage of granted patents currently active in Europe, France and Germany are among the top five leading countries with the majority of patent grants related to sugar reduction, each accounting for 5 % of all global patent grants. Recent patent activity related to sugar reduction varies from improving the taste of sweeteners to innovating new techniques to reduce the production cost of rare sugars.”
Functional fibre and next-gen stevia could appeal as natural alternatives
Functional fibres in low/reduced sugar food and drink launches are on the rise, increasing globally from 11 % in 2015 to 19 % in 2020. Inulin is the most common functional fibre in low/reduced sugar products, with product launches containing inulin having tripled in the past five years, rising to 9 % in 2020 from 3 % in 2015.
With 63 %*** of Germans concerned about how sugar reduction in food and drink is achieved, combining fibres with sugar to reduce overall sugar content could be an option worth exploring as an alternative. This could also appeal to the 29 %**** of Brits that are interested in more fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies with high fibre content.
Alternatively, stevia as a plant-based sweetener has the potential to appeal to European consumers as a sugar substitute. In fact, 63 %*** of Germans have no concerns about the amount of plant-based sweeteners (such as stevia) used in food and drink.
Neha Srivastava, Food and Drink Patent Analyst at Mintel, said:
“Consumers are aware of the importance of fibres in maintaining gut health. Brands can leverage this awareness by repositioning them as a multifunctional health ingredient that helps reduce sugar content in food and drink whilst improving gut health.
“Stevia continues to gain traction in food and drink launches because of its naturalness and zero calorific value, but its bitter and lingering aftertaste remains a significant barrier. Recent patent innovations to improve taste issues and physicochemical properties, like purity and solubility, to produce next-generation stevia may help overcome the challenge.
“Innovators are looking for alternative approaches, such as the use of sweet flavouring agents and aromas as a promising option to reduce sugar content in new food and drink products – especially in dairy desserts. This can be a promising option to reduce sugar content by providing sweet perception in brain cells.”
*987 internet users aged 16+ who try to eat/drink healthily, France; 1,955 internet users aged 16+ who try to eat/drink healthily, Germany; 997 internet users aged 16+ who try to eat/drink healthily, Spain; 988 internet users aged 16+ who try to eat/drink healthily, Poland; March 2021 **1,000 internet users aged 16+ in Poland and 2,000 internet users aged 16+ in Germany, December 2020 ***2,000 internet users aged 16+, Germany, June 2020 ****2,000 internet users aged 16+, UK, October 2020 *****1,000 internet users aged 16+, Italy and Spain, September 2020
The words ‘healthy’ and ‘natural’ are not often linked to sugar substitutes, but Fooditive BV wants to change that. Over the past decade, the Netherlands-based food ingredient manufacturer has been pear-suing sustain-apple solutions to combat global sugar intake. In 2018, this became a reality with its plant-based and chemical-free sweetener. Since then, Fooditive has focussed on improving the health status of products that use sugar replacements by providing an affordable alternative to other options on the market.
As put by Fooditive’s Product Development Manager, Niki Karatza, “developing a sweetener that could successfully replace sugar in food products required us to first understand the true essence of sugar. We managed that by diving into the science behind sucrose, its taste and its unique functionalities.”
This was achieved through an innovative process: the reverse engineering of sucrose. By starting with the end product and working backwards, it allowed Fooditive to analyse the ingredients’ properties and therefore understand how it could mimic the characteristics of sugar in its sweetener. Combining this knowledge with apple and pear waste led to the creation of Fooditive Sweetener®, which is 70 % as sweet as sugar and does not raise insulin or blood glucose levels.
With sustainability and transitioning to a circular economy as Fooditive’s core principles, it obtains the raw materials for its sweetener in two ways. Firstly, it collaborates with Dutch farmers to salvage both organic and non-organic unwanted apples and pears, and secondly, it collects the side streams of these fruits from other production processes. Once gathered, a continuous fermentation process, which means that more sweetener can be yielded in a shorter amount of time, is used to extract fructose and convert it into keto-fructose; this end product is the sweetener.
For 2021, founder and food scientist Moayad Abushokhedim has set a weekly goal to produce around 30 tonnes of Fooditive Sweetener® by upcycling 83 tonnes of third-grade fruit. With this projection, it will become more widely accessible to consumers in a range of products including Gigi Gelato and Hero jam in the Netherlands.
In Germany, Fooditive was nominated for the Healthy Living Award 2020 for its innovation and positive contribution to the organisation’s eathealthy-philosophy. Fooditive Sweetener® will also feature in the Seicha GmbH drinks as of this year.
“Since the founding of Seicha, my brother and I have been searching for a natural sweetener that has a pleasing taste and no calories. With Fooditive, we have finally found a suitable partner, with which we will revolutionise the beverage industry in Europe. Seicha will launch the world’s first organic certified Zero Iced Tea in Q2 2021. The organic iced tea will be launched in three flavours: Green Tea & Ginger; Rooibos Tea & Mango Passion Fruit; and Black Tea & Orange Vanille.” (Co-founder, Benjamin Böning)
With new products in the works and many other companies going bananas for Fooditive Sweetener®, 2021 is set to be an even more promising year, as the company continues to make healthy food and drinks affordable for everyone, all the while fighting food waste.
About Fooditive: Fooditive BV was founded in 2018 with the aim to make healthy food affordable. Its core business model relies on delivering natural and healthy innovation to food companies, with the Fooditive sweetener as its main product. The company’s philosophy is based on three values: plant-based, sustainability, and innovation. Keeping healthy and nutritious products in mind, we aim to provide food that is tasty, low in calories, high in fibre, and has a high supply chain impact. Fooditive implements the three pillars of sustainability into the business model: caring for people by providing healthy alternatives and raising health awareness; operating within a circular economy by reusing, reducing, and recycling; and minimizing environmental impact by using side streams to create products. Finally, to be able to deliver on the demand, we work with many types of partners to get the best out of new types of side-streams affordably and easily.
Process engineering group GEA and Israeli foodtech start-up Better Juice have joined forces to help beverage manufacturers produce healthier, lower-sugar fruit juice.
Better Juice has developed a groundbreaking solution that naturally reduces the amount of sugar in fresh juice by up to 80 percent, without affecting its nutritional value or taste. GEA is now engineering the process technology the start-up needs, setting this innovative solution on course for industrial production.
Demand for healthier juice
GEA frequently works with innovations partners such as start-ups in order to react more quickly to market trends and explore alternative solutions. Reducing the amount of sugar in our diets is one of the dominant themes in the food industry today, since people who consume excess sugar are more likely to be overweight, obese, or suffer from conditions like diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for orange juice as a vitamin-rich, immune-boosting drink*…
*Source: The Wall Street Journal (2020): “Grocery-Store Rush Spurs Big Gains in Sleepy Orange-Juice Futures”
As Ocean Spray continues to focus on health and wellness, the new beverage aims to feature roughly 40 % less sugar while still delivering a delicious, classic taste
As part of Ocean Spray’s commitment to bringing healthy and delicious products to the market, the agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 farmer families has announced a partnership with Amai Proteins in an effort to incorporate healthy, sweet proteins into the product portfolio. Through joint development agreements, Ocean Spray and Amai Proteins plan to develop cranberry juice with at least a 40 % sugar reduction, offering consumers more ways to incorporate the cranberry into a healthier lifestyle.
Amai Proteins’ innovative sugar-reduction solution is a hyper-sweet protein that is thousands of times sweeter than sugar. Through computational protein design, Amai Proteins has redesigned sweet proteins to fit the requirements of the market including temperature and acid stability for better shelf-life, great taste and affordable cost. The resulting designer proteins are 100 % protein, and expected to be a healthy, tasty sweetening solution.
Ocean Spray is partnering with Amai Proteins in this ground-breaking designer protein research to continue to provide great tasting and lower caloric solutions for people worldwide, leveraging the best that technology has to offer. The reduced sugar cranberry juice offering will continue to extend Ocean Spray’s tradition of bringing good tasting and healthful products to consumers without compromising the goodness and bold taste of the cranberry.
Additionally, Ocean Spray and Amai Proteins are excited to continue their partnership to develop and apply learnings to additional Ocean Spray products in the future. This is a significant milestone for Ocean Spray and the beverage industry. Many other companies are working to remove sugar and maintain taste but tend to fall short on flavor.
“Ocean Spray is proud to partner with Amai Proteins to bring consumers additional options for changing habits and lifestyles,” said Katy Latimer, VP of Research and Development at Ocean Spray. “We will continue to develop options that showcase the incredible health benefits of the cranberry while highlighting our commitment to health and wellness.”
“Amai Proteins offers the sweetest protein in the world as a tasty and healthy significant sugar reduction solution,” said Ilan Samish, CEO of Amai Proteins. “We are excited to be working with Ocean Spray in bringing our sweet proteins to the iconic cranberry cooperative as a healthy option for consumers to enjoy their favorite cranberry flavor.”
About Ocean Spray Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is a vibrant agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers in the United States, Canada and Chile who have helped preserve the family farming way of life for generations. The Cooperative’s cranberries are currently featured in more than a thousand great-tasting, nutritious products in over 100 countries worldwide. Leading by purpose, Ocean Spray is committed to the power of good—creating good, nutritious food that has a direct and powerful impact for the health of people and planet. All for good. Good for all.
About Amai Proteins Amai Proteins fixes our food system one protein at a time. The first line of products are hyper-sweet designer proteins that are healthy, tasty, and affordable thus enabling significant sugar reduction without compromising taste. Amai (means ‘sweet’ in Japanese) fits proteins to the mass food market by learning how life adapted to extreme environments. Such adaptation mechanisms are applied via computational protein design followed by environmentally-friendly and sustainable production in a brewery using yeast or other microorganisms. The resulting GMO-free delicious protein is inspired by sweet proteins that sweeten exotic fruits found along the equatorial belt. Market launch is expected in 2022.
The shift from fossil-based to renewable bio-plastics requires new efficient methods. New technology developed at VTT enables the use of pectin-containing agricultural waste, such as citrus peel and sugar beet pulp, as raw material for bio-based PEF-plastics for replacing fossil-based PET. The carbon footprint of plastic bottles can be lowered by 50 % when replacing their raw material of PET with PEF polymers, which also provides a better shelf life for food.
“In the near future, you may buy orange juice in bottles that are made out of orange peel. VTT’s novel technology provides a circular approach to using food waste streams for high-performance food packaging material, and at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” shares Professor of Practice Holger Pöhler from VTT”.
PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and other polyesters are being widely used in food packaging, plastic bottles and textiles. The annual production of PET products is estimated at 30 million tonnes. Replacing fossil-based PET with plant-based PEF (polyethylene furanoate) polymers can lower the carbon footprint of the products by 50 %.
Moreover, the barrier properties of PEF plastics are better than PETs, meaning that the food products have a longer shelf life. PEF is a fully recyclable and renewable high-performance plastic. Therefore, it opens up possibilities for the industries to reduce waste and to have positive impact on the environment.
VTT’s technology has significant advantages for making bio-based PEF plastics. The technology uses a stable intermediate for the production of FDCA (2,5-furandicarboxylic acid), one of the monomers of PEF, which enables a highly efficient process. In addition, utilising pectin-containing waste streams opens up new possibilities for the circular economy of plastics.
VTT’s unique scale-up infrastructure from laboratory to pilot scale ensures that this new technology will be brought to a technology readiness level that will allow polymer manufacturers’ easy transition to full scale.
Reaching 14.6 % reduction of added sugars in soft drinks between 2015-2019
Europe’s soft drinks industry has reduced added sugars in its drinks across Europe by an average of 14.6 % between 2015 and 2019.[1]
UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe, representing soft drinks producers across the EU, is committed to creating healthier and more sustainable food environments. It is determined to support consumers in managing their intake of added sugars from soft drinks by ensuring that the healthier choice becomes the easy choice. The industry responded to the European Commission’s call for a 10 % reduction in added sugars by 2020 and recent research, by independent analysts GlobalData, confirms that it has met, and surpassed, the target ahead of time.
“This reduction is proof that the soft drinks industry’s voluntary efforts to reduce sugar across the EU are delivering tangible results,” said UNESDA president and president Western Europe at The Coca-Cola Company, Tim Brett. It demonstrates our sector’s accelerated action in response to changing consumer preferences and the expectations of public health stakeholders.”
The 14.6 % reduction in added sugars has been achieved through a comprehensive range of actions including changing recipes to reduce sugars while maintaining a taste with which consumers are happy; innovating to develop new products with different sweetness levels; increasing availability of small packs to support portion control and moderation; and nudging people toward more no- and low-sugar/calorie options through marketing investments. This latest sugar reduction comes on top of previous achievements and means that Europe’s soft drinks industry has now reduced added sugars by an average of 26 % since 2000.
UNESDA is a founding member of the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health and has undertaken a series of voluntary commitments over the past 15 years to help address unhealthy diets as a risk factor for non-communicable diseases. These have been complemented by numerous national pledges to support EU member states in their action plans to create healthier food environments. These pledges are the result of stakeholder engagement at a national level and set targets based on local baselines and expectations. They reflect the conclusions of the 2016 Dutch EU Presidency which highlighted that sugar reduction is a gradual process and needs to take account of different dietary habits and preferences across the EU.
“Our sector’s progress in reducing sugar and calorie reduction has been enabled by the openness of stakeholders to engage through the EU Platform,” concluded Tim Brett. “We believe that the EU Code of Conduct for responsible business and marketing practices announced in the EU Farm to Fork strategy offers an opportunity to continue this dialogue with all actors, including Member States. As an industry we are committed to maintaining our efforts through a range of voluntary actions to ensure that the healthier choice becomes the easy choice.”
The path towards sugar reduction through reformulation comes with multiple challenges from a technological and consumer acceptance perspective and these become greater the more the reductions continue.
While the soft drinks sector has reduced the average sugar content in its products, and the WHO’s research[2] shows that frequency of consumption among school-aged children has declined across all age groups over the past 16 years, recent data shows that rates of overweight and obesity have not reduced. This demonstrates the complexity of the issue and the need for a holistic approach with all food and drink sectors committing to actions that support healthier food environments.
In addition to ongoing sugar and calorie reduction, Europe’s soft drinks sector has also made far-reaching commitments to behave responsibly in the marketplace including no advertising to children under 12; no sales of any soft drinks in EU primary schools and only no- and low- calorie drinks offered for sale in EU secondary schools.
About UNESDA Established in 1958 UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe is a Brussels-based association representing the European soft drinks industry. Its membership includes both companies and national associations from across Europe producing drinks including still drinks, squashes, carbonates, powders, iced teas, iced coffees, syrups, energy drinks and sports drinks. It is signatory to the EU Transparency Register (No: 25498952296-56).
AGRANA, the fruit, starch and sugar company, generated operating profit (EBIT) of € 55.8 million in the first half of the 2020|21 financial year, a moderate increase of 7.9 % year-on-year (H1 prior year: € 51.7 million). The Group’s revenue rose slightly to € 1,309.3 million (H1 prior year: € 1,250.0 million).
AGRANA Chief Executive Officer Johann Marihart says: “Much of our positive business performance can be credited to the diversification of our business activities, which enables us to balance out fluctuating economic conditions in the various segments. Thus, in the first half of the year, the Starch segment was able to maintain the prior year’s EBIT earnings despite significantly weaker starch sales in the paper sector, thanks to the very strong performance in bioethanol especially in the second quarter.”
Helping make the year-on-year growth in Group EBIT possible was the Sugar segment, which, as in the first quarter, saw a year-on-year improvement in earnings in the second quarter as a result of higher sugar prices. The Sugar segment’s EBIT nonetheless remained negative. In the Fruit segment, AGRANA was able to hold earnings in the fruit preparations business in line with the first half of the prior year. The performance of the fruit juice concentrate business was down significantly due to lower available volumes from the 2019 apple crop.
(All Photos: Agrana)
Net financial items amounted to an expense of € 9.1 million (H1 prior year: expense of € 7.9 million). After an income tax expense of € 12.3 million, corresponding to a tax rate of about 26.3 % (H1 prior year: 34.0 %), profit for the period was € 34.4 million (H1 prior year: € 28.9 million). Earnings per share attributable to AGRANA shareholders increased to € 0.54 (H1 prior year: € 0.43).
Net debt at 31 August 2020 amounted to € 479.6 million, up € 15.6 million from the year-end level of 29 February 2020 (year-ago level of 31 August 2019: € 423.6 million). The gearing ratio rose accordingly to 36.1 % as of the quarterly balance sheet date (29 February 2020: 33.5 %; 31 August 2019: 31.2 %).
The Fruit segment’s revenue in the first half of 2020|21 rose slightly year-on-year, by 1.0 %. In the fruit preparations business, revenue remained stable despite somewhat lower sales volumes. Revenue in the fruit juice concentrate activities saw an increase from a year ago, thanks largely to higher prices for apple juice concentrate produced from the 2019 crop. EBIT of the Fruit segment was off 16.6 % from the first half of 2019|20. The reason for the deterioration lay in lower delivery volumes in the fruit juice concentrate business combined with reduced contribution margins for apple juice concentrate from the 2019 harvest.
Starch segment revenue in the first half of 2020|21 was steady at the prior-year level. With the full operation of the new, second wheat starch plant, sales volumes and revenues of the products manufactured in-house increased. At the same time, revenue from resold merchandise declined sharply, as the sale of sugar by-products is now charged on a commission basis and the corresponding sales are no longer included in the Starch segment’s revenue. Ethanol quotations, after collapsing in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 lockdown and the steep fall in demand for petrol, recovered again progressively especially in the second financial quarter and even reached a new all-time high in August. Sales volumes of saccharification products, on the other hand, were negatively affected by the COVID-19 crisis, particularly with the beverage industry.
EBIT in the Starch segment slightly exceeded the year-earlier result, by 1.2 %. The earnings were driven by the high selling prices for ethanol, which made up for the lower market demand for starch and starch products.
The Sugar segment’s revenue in the first half of 2020|21 was up 21.8 % from one year earlier. This growth was attributable both to higher sugar selling prices and increased sugar sales volumes, especially with food retailers. Although EBIT was still negative, it marked a substantial improvement from the same period of the prior year due to a more benign sales price environment.
Outlook
Taking into account potential impacts of the coronavirus crisis, AGRANA expects Group EBIT for the full 2020|21 financial year to at least match the prior-year level. Group revenue is projected to show slight to moderate growth of up to 10%. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the associated high volatility in all business segments, this forecast remains characterised by a very high degree of uncertainty. It also does not yet include any financial effects of a possible closure of the sugar plant in Leopoldsdorf, Austria, after the 2020 campaign.
The drive to secure grower contracts with beet farmers is underway, with the aim of increasing next year’s beet cultivation area in Austria to at least 38,000 hectares by the middle of November 2020. With a three-year contract and guaranteed minimum prices, AGRANA is offering farmers long-term predictability for beet cultivation. Depending on the contracting status in mid-November, a decision will be made on whether to continue operations at the Leopoldsdorf factory or close it down after the end of the campaign.
In the 2020|21 financial year, the AGRANA Group’s investment is expected to amount to € 73 million, which is significantly below the year’s depreciation of about € 120 million following the very high capital expenditure of prior years.
In the first quarter of the 2020/21 financial year (ended 31 May 2020), AGRANA, the fruit, starch and sugar company, achieved a slight increase in both revenue and operating profit (EBIT) despite the COVID-19 crisis. AGRANA Chief Executive Officer Johann Marihart comments: “The key factor in the solid Group EBIT was a very significant profitability improvement in the Sugar segment compared to the same quarter last year. EBIT in the Starch segment was moderately below the year-earlier level, with the decline due mainly to a short-term slump in bioethanol prices at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have since recovered again. Ethanol sales remained stable in volume terms despite the lockdown, thanks to the firm export market for bioethanol with high CO2 reductions and to the sale of 10 million litres into the disinfectant sector. In the Fruit segment, earnings were significantly below those of one year ago. Thus, the performance of the fruit juice concentrate activities was down as a result of the prior-year harvest and there were COVID-19-related decreases in the fruit preparations business.”
Results in each business segment in Q1 2020|21
FRUIT segment
Revenue in the Fruit segment, at € 303.7 million, was off slightly from one year earlier. Revenue from fruit preparations fell somewhat, as a result of lower sales volumes. In the fruit juice concentrate business as well, volumes were the reason for a moderate revenue decline relative to a year ago. EBIT in the Fruit segment was € 16.0 million in the first three months, a reduction of 26.6 % year-on-year. The causes of the deterioration lay primarily in the fruit juice concentrate business, which notably saw reduced delivery volumes in combination with lower contribution margins of apple juice concentrates produced from the 2019 crop.
STARCH segment
The Starch segment’s revenue of CHF 204.4 million was slightly below the year-earlier level. The COVID-19 crisis had a negative impact on sales volumes of saccharification products, and initially also led to a drastic fall in bioethanol prices amid the lockdown and the sharp drop in demand for petrol. However, over the rest of the financial first quarter, bioethanol quotations rebounded again due to the resurgence in private transport. At € 17.0 million, EBIT of the Starch segment was moderately below the year-earlier amount. In the period under review, weaker market demand dampened prices and put pressure on margins.
SUGAR segment
The Sugar segment’s revenue of € 144.5 million in the first quarter was up significantly from one year before. Both higher sugar selling prices and increased sugar sales volumes led to this growth. Although EBIT was still negative at a deficit of € 1.0 million, it marked a substantial improvement compared to the same quarter of the previous year due to a more benign sales price environment.
The detailed financial results are provided in the interim statement for the first quarter of 2020|21 at www.agrana.com/en/investor.
What others consider waste, Fooditive considers a primary resource. Its new 100 % natural sweetener is produced from apple and pear leftovers, making it a chemical- and allergen-free sugar substitute. The sweetener came into fruition after founder and food scientist the Jordanian, Moayad Abushokhedim noticed that the multi-billion-dollar industry had been dominated by unhealthy sweeteners and had seldom seen change. Cue Fooditive.
Fooditive’s “mission is to develop food additives that contribute to a healthier body and a healthier environment” (Abushokhedim) with sustainability at its core. In 2019, Fooditive caught Rabobank’s attention and was awarded the Innovation Loan.
“Fooditive contributes to the European food industry by offering healthy alternatives to chemical sweeteners. Additionally, this product helps battle food waste. This fits in with our vision of Banking for Food: Rabobank wants to facilitate and support entrepreneurs in the agricultural and food industries, now and in the future to contribute to a more sustainable way of feeding the world” (Wiel Hopmans, SME account manager at Rabobank Rotterdam).
Fooditive is currently developing a range of other products in food ingredients, the specifics of which will be revealed later this year. The sweetener complies with EU organic standards, which has led to Fooditive being awarded the Skal certification meaning it can also produce an organic sweetener next to its regular one. In 2019, Fooditive have partnered with sustainable third-party production company Bodec. Allowing the zero-calorie sweetener to reach consumers through products in Dutch supermarkets. This year, it will be further distributed to various food and beverage companies across the Netherlands.
Last year, Fooditive began collaborating with Rotterdam Circulair, an organisation that is dedicated to reducing, re-using and recycling waste and whose ultimate goal is to transition from a linear to a circular economy by 2030. Fooditive plays a major role in achieving this target because its sweetener is transforming and challenging the long-standing sugar-substitute industry from a greener, healthier and more sustainable perspective.
It is not just the Netherlands that is interested in Fooditive, Sweden also wants to pear up. In October 2019, €100,065.63 was raised to set up the now registered branch in Stockholm. Future plans include expanding to the UK and Jordan. By starting production in these countries, Fooditive aims to reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to an all-round better future.
As this year saw the rise of the sober-curiousness trend, non-alcoholic drinks such as wine waters have a great market potential, due to their natural antioxidants content and their functionality. Wine water, either still or sparkling, is promoted as healthy and naturally functional, with a distinctive wine taste. According to GlobalData’s Q3 2019 global consumer survey, 92 % of surveyed consumers consider that eating healthily creates a feeling of wellness and 60 % say they believe antioxidants have a positive impact on their health.
Ana-Maria Iscru, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, explains: “A new water concept, wine water is different from alcoholic seltzers, non-alcoholic wine and fruit flavored waters, in that it does not contain alcohol but does have a wine-infused flavor, for a more sophisticated taste. The wine essence water from Wine Water Ltd., for instance, was released last year and has already sparked interest. The brand taps into a few consumer trends, namely the absence of alcohol, low sugar content, low calories and an elegant glass bottle packaging instead of plastic.”
Another slightly similar brand is Napa Hills, flavored water ‘with red wine’s natural antioxidants’, but without a wine flavour. PepsiCo also gave the trend a try, releasing a limited-edition rosé-flavored sparkling cola, which was served at the first edition of the BravoCon in November. Moreover, Walmart recently introduced a rosé wine drink enhancer, but it is not expected to come too close to the wine taste.
Iscru adds: “Wine waters are seen as much lower in calories and sugar than actual wine, enough to respond to the growing health & wellness demands. All of this while not ditching the classic wine taste that a lot of people love.
“The category is yet to grow, as there is not a large variety of wine waters, but it has potential in the way it is presenting itself: natural, sustainable and tasty. However, until wine water as a category grows globally, for now consumers are just left wanting more.”
Sugar reduction remains a central topic in the media and among consumers and opportunities for reducing sugar intake are taking a number of directions as companies address evolving concerns and demands.
Strategies for reducing sugar intake feature a combination of sugar reduction, sugar substitution and moving beyond sweetness to alternative tastes. These methods are often supported by a combination of functional formulations and blends, next generation sweeteners and other technological developments.
In an Innova Market Insights survey, sugar reduction is a popular option for the three in five US consumers in an Innova Market Insights survey who would rather cut back on sugar than consume artificial sweeteners. Sugar-related claims continue to grow and increasingly take on more prominent on-pack positionings.
In the US, for example, 8 % of all new food and beverage launches tracked by Innova Market Insights in 2018 featured a sugar reduction claim. Claims of no added sugar were most prominent, accounting for 42 % of all sugar-related claims, ahead of sugar-free (36 %) and low sugar (27 %). Although the low sugar claim is smallest in terms of its share of launches, it is also the fastest growing with an NPD CAGR of 17 % over the 2014 to 2018 period.
Sugar reduction can be achieved in a number of ways, including removing or reducing the amount of added sugar, replacing part of the sugar formulation with non-nutritive sweeteners and/or using innovative processing technologies, such as “aeration” to increase perceived sweetness, slow straining milk to remove sugar prior to yogurt making, or using enzymes to convert simple sugars to fibers in juices.
Interest in sugar substitution has also driven the rising use of sweeteners, particularly non-nutritive ones derived from nature, such as stevia, monk fruit and thaumatin. Allulose, which also occurs naturally in small quantities in a variety of sweet foods such as figs, can also be manufactured synthetically.
The April 2019 announcement by the FDA that allulose did not have to be included in total and added sugar counts in US nutritional labeling has also cleared the way for much higher levels of use and a potential move mainstream. Levels of patent activity indicate current interest in the use of allulose, rising 42 % in 2018 over 2017, while global NPD in food and beverages featuring the ingredient had an average annual growth of 45 % over the 2014 to 2018 period, although from a low base.
Companies are also looking at alternative ingredients such as coffee cherries as a potential stealth reducer of sugar in foods containing chocolate. Upcycled coffee cherries can be used to reduce the amount of sugar in finished products by emulating flavor in highlighting the cocoa notes, so that less cocoa powder is needed.
Another approach to sugar reduction is to use alternative flavor notes, such as bitter, sour or spicy, exploiting interest in novel and unconventional flavors to reduce the demand for sweetness overall. Interest in botanicals and their health benefits is also rising and may likewise encourage consumers to move away from more sugar laden foods; the use of botanical flavors for food and drinks NPD is expanding and can be seen across a whole range of different categories.
