With sugar reduction in the spotlight, Netherlands-based consultancy FutureBridge shares its predictions for three new bioprocesses ‘set to rattle the low-calorie sweetener market’.
Low calorie sweeteners have a bad reputation – but frequent consumers use them as a means to control cravings and cut calories, suggesting that they could be an important public health tool, a researcher suggests.
Artificial sweeteners could potentially increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in two weeks, says research that fuels ongoing debate over the sugar substitutes’ long-term health effects.
The increase in low-calorie sweetener (LCS) consumption in US adults and kids has once again placed a question mark over their long-term use and effects on health.
Sweeteners are widely used to replace sugar in diet and low calorie products within the food and beverage industry. However, many consumers are still worried about these ingredients. So, what are the facts behind low calorie sweeteners?
The modern consumer environment makes it too easy to consume too much, but by replacing calorie dense sugars with low calorie sweeteners, industry has a powerful tool in the fight against obesity, says Dr Tommy Visscher.
Food and drink manufacturers are ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ by continually advertising products with ‘no artificial’ labels, says Hans Heezen, chairman of the International Sweetener Association.
Many British consumers still regard sweeteners with suspicion, although in practice, very few actively avoid products that contain them, according to research commissioned by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).