The 2019 International Food Information Council (IFIC) Food and Health Survey reported that limiting or reducing sugar in the diet, along with eating more fruits and vegetables, topped the dietary changes consumers were making. Of those surveyed that year, 38% said they followed some sort of special diet. Of that number, 80% declared some intention to limit or avoid sugars in the diet.

Transparency throughout the food supply chain earned top honors on the list of trends Innova Market Insights projected for 2021 at the close of last year. As predicted, the heightened consumer interest in clean labeling has already shown signs of continuing and is expected to remain a top priority. Although “clean label” remains an undefined term legally, the trend is largely centered on the consumer’s ability to recognize ingredients on the labels of the foods and beverages they enjoy.

Consumer commitment to reduce sugar consumption continues to drive industry opportunities to develop non-nutritive sweeteners that perform and taste like table sugar. Blending nutritive sweeteners with high-intensity sweeteners (HIS) has become the standard, with stevia being the common go-to, typically in blends with everything from corn-derived sucrose or dextrose to maltose or tapioca sugar, or recent arrivals like coconut sugar.