Spar Austria: 4,500 tons of sugar less for healthier products!

Spar Austria: 4,500 tons of sugar less for healthier products!

Europastraße 3, 5015 Salzburg, Österreich - SPAR Austria started with an ambitious sugar reduction initiative, which was launched six years ago. This initiative aims to remove a total of 82 truck loads, which corresponds to almost 1.2 billion sugar cubes, from its own brand productions by the end of 2024. According to Kosmo , around 4,000 tons of sugar could be removed from more than 600 items. Great successes were achieved in yoghurts, breakfast cereals, lemonades and iced teas.

A concise example of this initiative is the Spar Enjoy Eisistee Peach, the sugar content of which was reduced by 30 percent. The S-Budget fruit yogurt was also reformulated with a quarter less sugar content. These measures are part of SPAR's commitment, which has been actively contributing to sugar reduction in own brands since 2017. It is important that implementation in cooperation with the Austrian Agency for Health and Nutritional Safety (AGE) and the Ministry of Health takes place.

strategies for sugar reduction

The gradual reduction in the sugar content was designed in such a way that changes in taste are minimized for consumers. In addition to sugar, a reduction in salt and fat will also be sought in the future. SPAR is planning to save a total of 4,500 tons of sugar by the end of 2024, with the focus on drinks, canned goods and ready meals. Spar deliberately relies on the natural taste of the products and dispenses with artificial sweeteners, which is increasingly well received in the industry.

In the global context, an analysis of Innova market insights that consumers are increasingly concerned about the health effects of excessive sugar consumption. Sugar is considered the most frequently limited ingredient in nutrition, followed by fat and sodium. The study emphasizes that the majority of consumers prefer a reduction in sugar instead of using sugar alternatives.

The demands of consumers to climb to sugar -reduced products, with natural sweeteners such as fruit juice and stevia finding a high level of acceptance. At the same time, "no added sugar" is the most common mission, followed by "sugar -free" and "sugar arm". Especially in the category of soft drinks, there is an increasing trend towards reduced sugar.

model function of saved

With his initiative for sugar reduction, SPAR occupies a pioneering role in Austrian trade. In fact, no other retail chains have implemented a comparable measure for sugar reduction. According to Spar Presse not only relies on sugar reduction, but also plans, similar strategies for reducing salt and fat to implement the near future.

These developments reflect a widespread trend in which consumers are increasingly looking for healthier food options. Technological innovations will continue to play a crucial role in making the sugar reduction and the production of healthy products advance. Spark's approach could thus serve as a model for other companies that also want to react to the changing nutritional needs of consumers.