Advantages of allulose over sugar prompt FDA labeling change

As sugar continues to be demonised, nutritionists predict more companies will switch to sweeteners in the future.

Allulose is a naturally occurring sweetener found in half a dozen fruits, including figs, raisins, dragon fruits and jackfruit. Small quantities are also found in maple syrup and wheat.  Its unique properties have caused the FDA to publish guidance stating it can be excluded from the Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels on food and beverage products.

This is just the tip of the iceberg and the FDA will be reviewing other products such as honey, maple syrup and other sweeteners to determine how they should be categorised in future. This could mean a change in sugar labelling guidelines for food boards globally and healthier indulgence options for consumers.  If sweeteners such as allulose start to replace the sugar in manufactured products then companies will likely see higher sales of products that have recently been in decline.

The FDA has taken this step after discovering and researching the many advantages allulose holds over sugar. This holds importance because this change in guidance is likely to influence consumers’ food choices. Ultimately, the change in how allulose is accounted for on the labels is going to influence other countries to follow in the FDA’s footsteps with similar products.

This means that food and beverage products which contain allulose sweeteners will be labelled with significantly lower amounts of sugar, attracting the growing number of consumers demanding guilt-free, healthy indulgence.

According to GlobalData’s Ingredients survey we can see that 63% of consumers have negative health connotations with sugar, thus we can assume that consumers preferences are increasingly moving to healthier alternatives such as natural sweeteners. There is evidence that shows consumers prefer to use natural sweeteners as a substitute for sugar. Due to the new classifications that will be affecting these natural sweeteners the demand is likely to increase.

With the increase in obesity and related diseases such as diabetes globally, governments are making an active effort to educate people about their dietary and nutritional needs (World Health Organisation, 2019). This has led to consumers making careful food choices with indulgent foods, leading to the avoidance of sugar.

Science has highlighted the many benefits to allulose. For instance, allulose does not lead to spiking blood sugar or insulin levels; in fact it can lead to a reduction of blood sugar. Further, it only contains four calories per gram. Additionally, it tastes extremely similar to sugar and has shown it can adapt to both baking and freezing, making it highly adaptable. Additionally, allulose does not damage teeth, which means less dentist appointments for consumers who have a sweet tooth.

Allulose is no magic cure for the FMCG’s sugar problem due to its high cost. It is very expensive to mass produce and will take time to fully meet its potential if it is to be widely available and replace sugar completely anytime soon, or at least until the price drops (All Natural Ideas, 2019).

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