A spoonful (less) of sugar
2016 was the year of the sugar tax, seeing a wave of countries announce plans to tax the ingredient - in particular its use in beverages - around the world from Britain to South Africa, Estonia to the Philippines.
Only time will tell whether or not this has an impact on stemming burgeoning obesity rates, but the impact on industry is real and immediate. Manufacturers in the UK have already begun reformulating sugar out of their products to stay below the fiscal threshold.
Enshrining an anti-sugar message in public health policy could also go some way to changing consumer attitudes in general, where high-sugar products are seen to be 'irresponsible' - especially if there are plenty of low-sugar or no-sugar alternatives sitting side by side on the shelf.
According to Innova Market Insights, the fastest growing sugar claim is “low sugar” with an average annual increase in global product launches of 32% from 2011 to 2015. Stevia-sweetened products increased by a compound annual growth rate of 39% for the same period.
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