Are Consumers Growing Sour on Sugar and Sweet on Stevia?

Fat. Carbs. High Fructose Corn Syrup. And now sugar. All nutritional villains in the consumers’ eyes.  In response to this mounting concern, food manufacturers and grocers are taking steps to decrease the amount of sugar in their products.

Some soda manufacturers, having already replaced high fructose corn syrup with regular sugar in some brands, are now vowing to reduce overall sugar content in others. Some are experimenting with sugar and stevia combinations. Supermarket chain Wegman’s is taking steps to reduce added sugar in its store brand products including yogurts, sauces and bakery items. Most recently, General Mills announced it was cutting sugar content by reformulating its Yoplait line of presweetened yogurts.

Why the scramble? Are consumers that concerned about their sugar intake? And what are the acceptable sweetener alternatives? According to our latest Buzzpoll it seems that consumers do care about what goes into their body – 65% specifically mentioned their concern about their sugar intake. Nine out of 10 said they read nutrition labels, with over half reporting that it’s to learn about sugar content.  The majority are willing to use artificial sweeteners or to try natural alternatives to sugar. Over a third are concerned about artificial sweeteners in their beverages. And a large majority said they’d have a positive opinion of a brand that used natural sweeteners rather than an artificial one.

To learn more about how consumers use nutritional info to make food decisions, the sugar substitutes they’re sweet on, and the ones that worry them, click here to see our infographic, Simple & Sweeteners.

Stay tuned for another new infographic coming out soon where we'll show you findings from our latest Millennials and Nutrition study. HINT: sugar is mentioned there, too!