New York — Add Singapore to the list of headaches for sugar producers.
Sugar has become one of the most despised ingredients, thanks to its calorie count and associations with obesity. It is so reviled that US cities from Philadelphia to Boulder, Colorado, have levied taxes against sugary drinks and companies including PepsiCo have pledged to cut back. Even chocolatier Hershey has expanded its offerings of products with less sweetener.
“We’re noticing there’s been a reduction in consumption. It’s not growing like it used to a while ago,” said Jose Orive, executive director of the International Sugar Organisation. “That can be attributed to the war on sugar, sugar taxes and displacement by reformulation by some companies.” “Social media has changed the way consumers perceive and think about food,” said Pablo Sherwell, head of agribusiness research for North America at Rabobank International. It has “become their reference point when it comes to diets and food nutrition. Scientists and nutritionists are not any more the reference point”, he said.