(Newswire.net — May 15, 2017) — Major world confectionery producers have agreed to reduce sugar in their products by 2022 to have them aligned with the global anti-sugar campaign.
Mars Chocolate, Wrigley, Nestlé USA, Ferrero, Lindt, Ghirardelli, Russell Stover, and Ferrara Candy Company have decided to reduce calories in their products in the United States, which is among top 10 fattest country in the world.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the obesity epidemic among children in the US is on the rise. According to the organization’s estimates in 2014, about 41 million children under the age of five are suffering from obesity.
In recent years, sugar has been labeled as No. 1 cause of a variety of diseases. The global anti-sugar campaign is starting to affect not only the candy market, but also that of sodas, after the surficing of data showing that there is approximately 16 teaspoons of sugar in every highball glass of soda drink. That means that about half of that glass is filled with nothing but sugar.
Soda companies have already marketed 0% sugar products, but artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, have been meanwhile associated with a higher risk of developing dementia and cancer.
The situation with confectionery products, is however different. It is impossible to compensate the flavor of chocolate with artificial sweeteners and no one is willing to give up on their share of the market. It was why the industry had to agree on a joint strategy, which is exactly what it did.
The commitment to reduce calories to 200 or less per individually wrapped pack was announced this week at a Partnership for a Healthier America event in Washington DC, by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), the US candy lobby, the Quartz reports.
The NCA released a statement confirming that the agreement will take effect in 2022. “Chocolate and candy have always been a treat, and this is a big commitment by the participating companies to keep it that way,” John Downs, president of the NCA, said in a statement.
Aside from the commitment to cap calories per pack, the agreement also obligates the participating companies to print calorie info on the front of their packaging.