“Further Regulation Is An Inevitability”

The latest report on the progress of Public Health England’s sugar reduction targets showed just an average reduction of just 2.9% average across the board, a far cry from the 20% by 2020 target set back in 2017. In light of this, the rhetoric on sugar reduction is been ramped up, with groups like Action on Sugar even demanding mandatory targets for manufacturers producing calorie dense products. The biscuit sector was one of nine identified sectors targeted for sugar reduction, but only achieved only a 0.6% reduction based on the 2015 benchmark. Consumers are demanding further action, and manufacturers must react to this.

In response, Ulrick & Short have developed a new clean label ingredient which reduces up to 20% of sugar in biscuits, mimicking the texture, volume and bite of sugar. The ingredient, avanté B, replaces the functionality of sugar in biscuits, and allows manufacturers to meet the PHE sugar reduction targets with no detriment to the finished product.

Schroeter adds “This most recent report is a bit of a wake up call for manufacturers, and one way or another, some form of further regulation is an inevitability. avanté B allows manufacturers to be proactive in their product reformulation, and pre-empt any extensions to these so-called ‘sin taxes’.”