Half of U.S. Baby Boomers are reducing their sugar intake, research from Innova Market Insights reveals.
As sugar becomes more central to the obesity debate, its reduction is becoming a major dietary target for many consumers, including Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964. Consumers in this demographic are buying more reduced sugar products, while 2 in 5 are cutting back on their consumption of sweet snacks.
“Boomers are below-average purchasers of certain sweet products such as chocolate, desserts and ice cream and snack bars,” says Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation of Innova Market Insights. “In contrast, they are markedly more important in the yogurt, sweet baked goods and breakfast cereals categories, so these could offer opportunities for sugar reduction.”
The U.S. yogurt category is already seeing high levels of low and no sugar development, with 20 percent of all launches in 2018 carrying such claims, up from just 4 percent in 2013. Breakfast cereals and sweet baked goods have not followed suit, however, with just 2 percent penetration for reduced sugar products in 2018.
At the IFT Food Expo 2019 next week, Innova Market Insights will outline several platforms related to sugar reduction:
- Sugar Substitution: 2 in 5 U.S. consumers use sweeteners “because they like sweet things but want to reduce the calories.”
- Sugar Reduction: 3 in 5 U.S. consumers would “rather cut back on sugar than consume alternative sweeteners.”
- Beyond Sweetness: 1 in 2 U.S. consumers prefer savory to sweet taste in an afternoon snack.
- Sweet Science: Patent activity is thriving in natural sweeteners.
Innova Market Insights will have daily presentations at Booth 5051 during IFT, set for June 3-5 in New Orleans.
