Nestlé says to cut sugar in chocolate by 40%

Nestlé has announced the discovered a way to significantly reduce the amount of sugar that goes into its KitKat, Butterfinger and other candy bars, without affecting the taste of the novelty products.

Scientists at the Swiss food giant said the breakthrough will allow the company to cut sugar content in the products by up to 40%, with the apparent sweetness of chocolate and other confectionery products being unchanged.

“Our scientists have discovered a completely new way to use a traditional, natural ingredient,” said Nestle's Chief Technology Officer, Stefan Catsicas, in a statement last week.

The statement said the researchers have found a way to “structure sugar differently”, tressing that “even when much less is used in chocolate, your tongue perceives an almost identical sweetness to before”.

The announcement comes as a global obesity epidemic ramps up pressure on processed food makers to make their products healthier. Nestle and its peers have all been working to reduce sugar, fat and salt, as consumers increasingly opt for fresher, healthier options.

The Swiss company said it was patenting its findings and would begin to use the faster-dissolving sugar across a range of its confectionery products from 2018.

If the new sugar lives up to its billing, it would represent a milestone in the food business’s never-ending quest for more healthly ways to sweeten products.

Nestlé’s breakthrough follows PepsiCo’s recent commitment to spend billions of dollars creating new snacks and beverages, and reformulating existing ones to cut salt, sugar and fat content.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has long said sugars should make up less than 10 per cent of a person’s total daily energy intake, and has now started urging countries to lower the bar to 5%.