In a recent online webinar the French ingredients firm delved into market trends and opportunities in sugar-free confectionery and plugged its sugar substitute ingredient Lucasin HBC.
Globally the reduced-sugar packaged food and beverage market is set to surge at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 5.8% for 2010-2015, according to Euromonitor data.
Sugar-free confectionery is also surging but there are stark differences in product development between sectors. Euromonitor data shows that in Europe 2011, 93% of chewing gums and 58% of medicated confectionery were sugar-free. This compares to 35% for mints and 19% for boiled sweets.
“The sugar-free trend is not restricted to chewing gum and medicated confectionery and it is gaining momentum,” Valérie Barfoot, market development manager specialized in confectionery solutions at Roquette, said in the webinar.
Barfoot flagged clear opportunities in developing the sugar-free boiled sweets sector considering current market levels.
Sugar-free boiled sweets
The boiled sweets market was pegged at €2.9bn for 2011, according to Euromonitor.
While sugar-free boiled sweets are available across Europe, Barfoot noted there are varying consumption levels with Spain topping the chart for 2011 followed by Italy and Norway.
“Typically the sugar-free confectionery market is more developed in countries like Spain and Italy. These countries are more advanced in terms of products they have on the shelf,” she said.
Roquette pushed Lycasin HBC as a favorable solution to developing sugar-free boiled sweets.
“It can bring value to your brand,” Barfoot said.
It enables tooth-friendly, reduced calorie products with a lower glycemic index (GI), the firm said. The ingredient has 2.4Kcal per gram compared to 4Kcal/g in sugar.
While the substitute is almost twice the cost of sugar, Barfoot said “it gives companies the opportunity to innovate and differentiate a brand”.
Find the online webinar HERE.