The pressure on food and beverage producers to reduce sugar content in their products is steadily rising: Local governments as well as EU institutions are pushing to implement legal frameworks as well as tax systems, and to educate consumers on possible health implications of high sugar intake to increase public health.
One example is the Nutri-Score, a traffic-light system for consumers to easily compare products within a product group. It is already implemented in different European countries such as France, Germany, and Switzerland (amongst others) to complement the mandatory label information like nutritional values. At this point the Nutri-Score is still voluntary – but even if the EU commission has not yet implemented a consistent policy, consumer organisations are pushing for mandatory solutions.
In Germany, for instance, the 2024 Nutrition Report of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) gives a clear result: 66% of respondents said they do pay attention to sugar content when purchasing processed food. The number has been growing over the last years, with considerably more consumers checking sugar than fat or salt content.
Therefore, reducing sugar or replacing it with suitable alternatives will continue to keep us on our toes in the food and beverage industry in the future: With the challenges in product development, but also a rising number of alternatives out there.
Read more about sugar reduction in product development in our blog →
85%% of the German respondents did state they support the approach to add less sugar to processed food. However, we humans are complex beings: knowing something is better for us, and rationally advocating for it is one thing. Changing our habits and preferences is a very different thing.
We all are not only food professionals but also consumers: What are you willing to compromise on? Your answer (as for most of us) will most probably not be simple and quite diverse: It will not be the same for every situation and context, as well as for every type of food or drink. The cream cake you spoil yourself with after a challenging week will most likely not have to follow the same rules as the green kale smoothie you bought specifically to support your health and wellbeing. Food and drinks are also meant to satisfy an emotional need, for instance, to indulge, refresh, recharge, to excite, and many more.
For sugar reduction as well, it is critical to keep in mind that product choices are dynamic: they are based on individual preferences, priorities, and values, as well as on focus categories for sugar reduction which can vary between countries and regions.
No surprise, when it comes to food, people do pay most attention to good taste, with 99% of respondents in the German BMEL research. For 91% it is important that the food is healthy. Easy & and quick to prepare is relevant for 56%, followed by another perennial favourite: being low in calories (34%).
Taste, of course, is subject to personal preferences which can change over a lifetime. But as well, it is acquired and learned, influenced by cultural context. Whether we like a specific food or not is an emotional rather than rational decision. And as if that wasn‘t complex enough, the additional layers of values, needs, and expectations are adding to the complexity of bringing successful products to market.
Enjoyment of food without a guilty conscience is what we are all looking for. But in addition, it is also meant to achieve something positive for us. That means, expectations towards food and nutrition are rising: it is supposed to taste great, be healthy, convenient, as well as actively contributing to consumers’ well-being.
According to the Nutrition Hub’s 2025 Nutrition Trend Report, the future will be all about health, flexibility, and self-determination: The experts see a further deepening of existing trends – and a profound change in the way we eat. Nutrition is no longer just about consuming food, but is increasingly becoming an expression of identity, responsibility, and shaping one’s own future. Consumers seem to be increasingly focusing on their own health and are apparently making more conscious choices for diets that suit them as individuals and are also functional. The goal: to strengthen the body, promote mental health, and enjoy with a clear conscience.
Nutrition is expected to become increasingly tailored to individual needs, thus leading to well-being and improved performance. So, what is healthy? Their diet is supposed to reflect their personal lifestyle and values and be tailored for them and their specific needs. Health remains the foundation – and will be further optimized in the future.
Health is thus becoming a personalized project, with functional foods, beverages, and nutritional supplements designed to promote health and increasingly becoming an integral part of the diet.
While naturalness, intuitive nutrition, and a rather holistic approach to health have been at the forefront for quite some years, the experts at Mintel and the Nutrition Hub are seeing a growing trend toward self-optimization with a tendency towards quick solutions for complex challenges.
Especially among young people, health seems again to be more linked to body ideals and performance. Nutrition is becoming a “medicine” in consumers’ perception, and the boundaries are blurring, while added functional ingredients are intended to help meet daily nutritional needs.
A blood sugar-friendly diet appears to be one of the newer approaches to self-optimization, with the goal of keeping blood sugar levels as stable as possible. According to Mintel, as early as April 2024, 21% of German consumers who were actively trying to lose or maintain their weight, regularly checked their blood sugar to better control their body weight. Other long-term health effects associated with highly fluctuating blood sugar levels are also becoming increasingly recognized. Over 50% of the experts surveyed by the Nutrition Hub expect this trend to continue to grow, and they observe strong interest from a growing community on social networks.
In this regard, the glycaemic index (GI), among other factors, is becoming more relevant for product development. The GI indicates how quickly and how much blood sugar rises after consuming a specific carbohydrate-containing food. The higher the glycaemic index), the faster the blood sugar level rises: Glucose, with a GI of 100, serves as the reference value. Conventional sugar, with its relatively high glucose content, is therefore considered a high-GI food.
Sweeteners – whether artificial or natural – usually have a very low GI, but often present other challenges in product development. Natural syrups and honey have a very natural perception as an alternative to sugar and compared to most sweeteners, offer significantly more in terms of the various functionalities that sugar usually performs in food and beverages. Among these natural syrups, in particular agave syrup has a very low GI.
For the ease of being used in various applications and formulations, IMAG Organics has developed agave products with different forms – syrups, crystallized syrup, and agave powder. Discover more about the manufacturer and the organic agave products →.
