Nestlé UK & Ireland to strip 10% of confectionery sugar

Nestlé UK and Ireland is stepping up to the sugar challenge by stripping out 10% of sugar from its confectionery portfolio by 2018.

The move will see around 7,500 tonnes of sugar removed across a number of well-known brands through a range of methods and initiatives. The changes will largely be achieved by replacing sugar with higher quantities of existing ingredients or other, non artificial ingredients and ensuring products are below a certain amount of calories.

Fiona Kendrick, chairman and ceo of Nestlé UK and Ireland, said: “Our confectionery brands have been enjoyed in the UK for more than a century and we know that if we can improve these products nutritionally, provide more choice and information for the consumer, together with other categories, we can have a significant impact on public health.

“Nestlé is at the forefront of efforts to research and develop new technology that makes food products better for our consumers. These innovations will help us to reduce sugar in confectionery when they are combined with other, more common methods like reformulating recipes and swapping sugar for other, non-artificial ingredients.”