SUGAR ALTERNATIVES AND REDUCTIONS


“The Sweet biscuits and cookies segment is seeing the strongest traction when it comes to sugar reduction and consistently accounts for the largest share of bakery launches (39%) featuring sugar reduction claims,” he explains. Consumers, he says, increasingly expect even everyday bakery staples to support healthier lifestyles without sacrificing familiarity. Momentum is also building in cakes, pastries and other sweet baked goods. Over the past three years, launches carrying sugar reduction claims have increased significantly within these traditionally indulgent categories, signalling growing confidence among manufacturers in delivering products that balance indulgence with improved nutrition. Consumer attitudes towards reformulation


are also changing. Rather than simply looking for products with less sugar, shoppers increasingly want to understand how that sugar has been replaced. Natural ingredients with recognisable origins are becoming a major purchasing driver, with research showing that around two-thirds of UK consumers find products naturally lower in sugar particularly appealing. Rudy says gradual sugar reduction


A Tate & Lyle application scientist tests a formulation as part of ongoing work to optimize sweetener performance across food and beverage applications.


strategies and shorter ingredient lists are helping manufacturers build trust, while plant- based sweetening ingredients continue to gain acceptance thanks to their strong natural credentials and clean-label positioning. Looking ahead, he believes bakery


looking for additional benefits,” he explains. Natural prebiotic chicory root fibres and


short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS), a fibre derived from beet sugar, are enabling manufacturers to reduce sugar while simultaneously increasing fibre content, allowing products to appeal to consumers seeking broader health benefits rather than calorie reduction alone. Functional fibres are becoming an


increasingly valuable part of the bakery reformulation toolbox because they contribute both technically and nutritionally. Alongside Isomalt, BENEO’s Orafti® Inulin and Oligofructose can replace sugar thanks to their naturally mild sweetness and sugar- like functional properties. According to Rudy, these ingredients allow manufacturers to reduce sugar naturally while preserving the balanced sweetness and indulgent mouthfeel consumers expect from baked goods. At the same time, they contribute to


digestive wellbeing and help address the well-documented fibre gap in many consumers’ diets. Among the few ingredients recognised as proven prebiotics


by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), BENEO’s chicory root fibres are supported by more than three decades of scientific research. Rudy notes that studies have demonstrated benefits including digestive health support, increased satiety, reduced calorie intake and improvements in long- term weight management. The company’s Technology Centre


continues to explore how these ingredients perform across different bakery applications through extensive recipe development. For example, its team has developed


sugar-free wafer and shortbread concepts using Isomalt to maintain crispness thanks to the ingredient’s low hygroscopicity. In softer baked products, combining Isomalt with chicory root fibres and other polyols allows manufacturers to develop products carrying both “no added sugar” and high- fibre claims while preserving the sensory characteristics consumers expect. While sugar reduction is expanding across


the bakery sector, Rudy believes certain categories are moving faster than others.


innovation will increasingly revolve around delivering “less sugar, same pleasure.” Maintaining indulgence, texture


and


familiarity will remain essential, but manufacturers will increasingly pair sugar reduction


with wider health benefits,


particularly around blood glucose management as awareness of blood sugar control continues to move into mainstream wellness. Premiumisation is also expected to


play a larger role. Rather than eliminating indulgence altogether, manufacturers are likely to focus on creating smaller, higher- quality treats that combine fewer calories with premium ingredients and elevated flavour experiences. “[It] can help consumers justify occasional treats while still aligning with healthier lifestyles,” explains Rudy. For Rudy, this is the future of


baked goods. Instead of treating sugar reduction as a compromise, the industry’s next generation of products will seek to deliver healthier formulations that maintain every bit of the enjoyment consumers expect, proving that better nutrition and indulgence no longer have to be mutually exclusive.


JUNE/JULY 2026 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • 23


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