Simple ingredients renovation

Next step: Mondelēz to cut sugar, salt, sat fat and artificial ingredients in power brands

By Oliver Nieburg

- Last updated on GMT

Mondelēz meets target for a quarter of revenues to come from ‘Better Choices’ products (example pictured) three years early. Now it will reformulate power brands with less sugar, salt, saturated fat and simpler ingredients. Photo: MDLZ
Mondelēz meets target for a quarter of revenues to come from ‘Better Choices’ products (example pictured) three years early. Now it will reformulate power brands with less sugar, salt, saturated fat and simpler ingredients. Photo: MDLZ

Related tags Nutrition

Cadbury owner Mondelēz International plans to renovate its power brands with simpler ingredients and improved nutrition after meeting some of its well-being targets early.

The Milka maker set a target to deliver 25% of revenue from products it calls Better Choices by 2020 when it launched its Call For Well-being​ platform 2013.

It is using its 2012 revenue as its baseline.

The firm said in a progress report​ published this week that 26% of its revenues now come from Better Choices.

belVita and Barni biscuits as well as Tang powdered beverage are driving Better Choices revenues, while Trident gum and cracker brand Triscuit have also contributed.

What are Better Choices?

'Better Choices' must meet the company’s nutritional requirements​ on sugar, saturated fat, sodium and calories per 100 g. Mondelēz set these criteria with an outside panel of nutrition experts and says the benchmarks are based on dietary recommendations by authorities worldwide. Better Choices must either:

  • Increase healthier ingredients, such as adding 8 g of whole grain;
  • Or provide a ½ serving of fruit or vegetable per portion; or adding fiber, calcium, or protein to meet regulatory claim as “good source”
  • Or reduce a nutrient of public health concern, such as sodium, saturated fat, or sugar, by at least 10% against the 2012 baseline

The company made the criteria public in its progress report this week:  

mondelez nutrtion criteria
Photo: MDLZ

 (Other criteria exist for beverages, cheese products and sauces & spreads)

Mondelēz Better Choices products are not marketed using a special logo, but many Better Choice options such as belVita, Triscuit, Trident and Barni are also Mondelēz power brands, which enjoy distorted marketing investments. 

Simpler ingredients for biggest sellers

Jane Corcoran, corporate external communications at Mondelēz, told ConfectioneryNews: “Moving forward, our goal is to build upon the foundation created by our Better Choice portfolio and focus on growing our 10 well-being brands at twice the rate of our base portfolio. 

“In addition, we will also be contemporizing and renovating our Power Brands – our biggest sellers – with simpler ingredient lines and improved nutrition; and continuing to grow portion control options within our portfolio.

“We’re focused on making nutrition profile improvements, including improving the saturated fat, sodium and sugar profile as part of overall power brands renovation.”

The company will also focus on removing artificial ingredients up to 2020, according to its progress report.

Mondelēz power brands include belVita, Oreo, Cadbury, Chips Ahoy! and Milka, among others.

The company has already cut 6% of saturated fat and 5% of sodium in its portfolio against its 2012 baseline last year and says it is on track with its target to reduce sodium and saturated fat levels 10% by 2020.

Portion control products

Across its portfolio, Mondelēz has also grown portion control products by 39% from its 2012 baseline, exceeding its goal.

Its initial target was to increase individually wrapped portion control options 25% by 2020.

A portion control snack contains 200 calories or less and is individually wrapped, according to the company’s definition.

“As for our confectionery brands, they’re main drivers of our portion-control efforts,”​ said Corcoran.

The company hopes to deliver 15% of its revenue from portion control snacks by 2020.

Oreo Thins1
Thins additions help Mondelēz add reduced sugar options. Photo: MDLZ

15% of portfolio sugar-free or sugar-reduced

Mondelēz added 15% of its portfolio today is sugar-free or sugar-reduced.

Corcoran said: “Sugar-free gum is a driver, along with sugar-reduced/sugar free powdered beverages.  In some markets, we have introduced sugar-reduced mints/candies, such as Halls and Trebor mints in UK.”

The company has also added reduced sugar options for Oreo and Chips Ahoy by introducing Thins options.

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