Nestlé Discovers Sugar-Reducing Scientific Breakthrough
Published October 4, 2018
Who doesn’t love a sweet treat at the end of the day? But with American obesity rates rising and continuous pressure from a new health-conscious generation breathing down the necks of the food industry, companies have been forced to evolve their traditional sweet offerings. Whereas in the past you could easily find Kinder Surprise Eggs and Dunkaroos in the checkout aisles to tempt weary shoppers, today you’re more likely to find healthier alternatives such as Kind bars or Unreal chocolate alternatives. And someday soon, you may even see the all-new Milkybar Wowsomes if you live in the UK.
Why this shift to healthier sweet alternatives, what is a Milkybar Wowsomes, and why should you care? We’re glad you asked. At INSITE, we always have our eyes peeled for industry-relevant news. Being a major player in the secondary packaging automation field with our case erectors and sealers, we know the impact that introducing a new product can have on a company. These new Milkybar Wowsomes are poised to make quite the impact on the larger food industry and are a signal to all that the tide is turning when it comes to the creation of snack foods and treats.
What is a Milkybar Wowsome?
Some have been referring to Nestlé’s latest invention as “designer sugar” or “cotton candy tech,” but what exactly is all the hype about? While Nestlé has, in fact, released a new candy bar called the Milkybar Wowsome, the true star of the show is the bar’s unique sugar structure.
Nestlé first came up with their new sugar structure approach back in 2016, but the Milkybar Wowsome will be the first time that the 30%-sugar reducing method of production will be implemented in the company’s widely popular sweets. The team at Nestlé discovered that by creating an aerated, porous sugar that dissolves more rapidly in the mouth the product which contains that new variation of sugar would be able to have 30% less sugar than the standard candy bar.
While traditional sugar is made of crystals, Nestlé’s new aerated sugar is amorphous, meaning it has no defined shape, which allows it to dissolve in the mouth faster. It’s the same approach that is used to make cotton candy, thus the loving nickname of “cotton candy tech.”
Nestlé’s goal was to create a sweet that contained only natural ingredients and that would in turn appeal to health-conscious consumers. This new amorphous sugar has the potential to reduce sugar by up to 40% in Nestlé products. The new Milkybar Wowsome contains no artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors, or flavorings, can be a good source of fiber, and is gluten-free.
How Nestlé Has Continued to Evolve
This latest advancement by Nestlé further demonstrates how the food industry is shifting to adapt to a new, more health-conscious market. To date, Nestlé has removed “more than 60 billion calories and 2.6 billion teaspoons of sugar from across our food and drink portfolio in the last three years.” stated Jas Scott de Martinville, Global Lead for Nestlé Confectionery Research and Development in a recent news release on the subject. And when it comes to what does Nestlé own, the list includes many popular names such as Wonka, Nerds, Dreyer’s, Laffy Taffy, and more.
The new Milkybar Wowsome will only be available in the UK, but we can expect to see the ripple effect of this breakthrough disturb the waters of the food industry all around the globe.
How Consumer Demand Has Changed the Confectionery and Greater Food Industries
Over the past 20 months, 17 CEOs from some of the largest food companies have stepped down, or been forced aside, and have made room for new thought leadership in one of the most impactful industries in our world; food. As retailers shift to make their brick and mortar locations revolve around the consumer, not the product as traditional thinking would suggest, big food companies have been forced to reevaluate how they grab the ever-wandering eye of their target demographics.
In 2017 we saw a significant rise in demand for plant-based food, with relatively new companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat experiencing enormous growth. But a demand for healthier alternatives for classic favorites isn’t limited solely to entré items like burgers. Today’s consumers, especially the younger Millennial demographic, seek products that offer transparency when it comes to their ingredients and impact on the world at large.
This desire for more health-conscious products has prompted a wave of change within the larger food industry. Decades-old companies rooted in creating delicious, but not necessarily healthy foods, have become forced to adapt to the whims of today’s consumer. Which means that giants within each sector of the food industry, even companies as large as Nestlé, now need to dedicate time and resources to either modifying their current offerings to meet this new healthy demand or create entirely new offerings.
While Nestlé is the first to debut this extraordinary sugar-reducing breakthrough, we can expect to see many of its competitors rolling out their own versions of healthy alternatives in the coming months and years. This is one trend that appears to be here to stay.
Stay in the Know with INSITE
Nestlé is always on our radar; as well as P&G, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and every other titan within the consumer packaged goods industry. From new secondary packaging automation news to consumer packaged goods breakthroughs, you can count on INSITE to provide you with the industry news you need to stay sharp.