Over the last few decades, sugar has become a controversial ingredient in confections despite the significant efforts that have been made to curve the sugar content in many consumables. Sugar is seen as the culprit behind the ever increasing rate of childhood and adult obesity, increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Some are now speculating that too much sugar can have negative psychological effects in the form of cognitive deficits.
Still, Americans consume between two to three pounds of sugar per week on average! Over the last 20 years, sugar consumption has increased from 26 pounds to 135 pounds of sugar per year PER PERSON. Many Americans are aware of the danger of consuming too much sugar and yet the number of people classified overweight or diagnosed with diabetes continues to increase. So what explains this gap between knowledge and behaviors.
Perhaps consumers aren’t aware of how much sugar they put in their bodies. According to this Candy Industry article, 42% of consumers say that they are not aware of how much sugar they have consumed in the last 24 hours. Or maybe the problem is that sugar has a hold on people that cannot be willed away. According to the same article 53% of people surveyed admitted that they had plans to cut down on sugar but had not yet done so.
Are people even responding to low sugar claims? Only 24% of buyers say that they like low sugar claims. It is very likely that sugar awareness has done little to change peoples’ attitudes towards what they consume. This may be due to the fact that people will likely prioritize indulgence over their own health.
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