Innova Market Insights says sugar-related claims continue to grow, and they’re increasingly taking more prominent on-pack positions.

A new FONA report suggests consumers want healthier versions of their favorite treats that taste the same or better.

Roughly 75 percent of consumers across 19 countries are not influenced by sugar content when purchasing sugar confectionery, according to a survey by Innova Market Insights.

European sugar producer Südzucker and DouxMatok, developer of targeted flavor delivery technology, are partnering to commercialize DouxMatok’s sugar reduction solution across Europe to support the food industry’s efforts to reduce sugar content.

German startup Savanna Ingredients has begun producing initial quantities of allulose with the goal of producing the virtually calorie-free sugar on a larger scale.

A group of stakeholders led by the National Confectioners Association and the Sweetener Users Association has formed the Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy with the goal of pushing Congress to modernize the U.S. sugar program.

On July 1, consumers living in Cook County, a good chunk of Chicagoland, were greeted with a new tax, one that slapped a penny surcharge on every ounce of sweetened beverage, which included items such as soda, sports drinks, flavored water, energy drinks, pre-made sweetened coffee and tea with less than 50 percent milk content, among others.

The global confectionery ingredients market is expected to reach $109.48 billion by 2025, according to a report by Albany, N.Y.-based research firm Transparency Market Research.

Public Health England (PHE), an executive agency of the United Kingdom’s Department of Health, last week released guidelines for sweets manufacturers to cut sugar levels by 20 percent over the next three years. 

I do see two issues looming ahead, however, and those are sugar taxes and legalized marijuana, both of which have major implications for the confectionery industry. But let’s focus on something all confectioners should do well to monitor: sugar taxes.