Rethinking sugar reduction in processed foods

Although the need to reduce the sugar content of processed products has been widely acknowledged, progress has been slow. So far, sugar reduction strategies have been targeted at minimizing the sensory changes associated with product reformulation, mainly through the use of non-nutritive sweeteners. However, emerging evidence has shown that we may have been following the wrong path by focusing on reducing sugar while maintaining sweetness. The aim of this review is to critically discuss sugar reduction strategies in the light of recent evidence related to consumers’ hedonic sensitivity to sugar reduction, the potential negative effects of uncoupling sweet taste from energy load, and the limited effectiveness of voluntary agreements for sugar reduction. In addition, the need to adopt a food systems approach that tackles the incentives and creates disincentives to produce and commercialize high-sugar products is stressed.