As it turns out, sugar ain’t so sweet and America isn’t falling for its tasty facade, anymore. With 51% of adults actively trying to avoid sugar in their diets, the ubiquitous ingredient is slowly but surely falling down the food chain. Due to its rap sheet of potential health risks, refined sugar has become a target for consumers and government agencies alike. Under pressure to meet the demand for healthier options, the food industry is leaning into sugar alternatives and innovative processing, creating an exciting market for smart startups to treat consumers to a new kind of sweet.
Sugar is sneaky and that, in part, is what makes it so dangerous. Sure, everyone knows a cupcake is going to blow your daily recommended sugar intake, but what about the low-fat dressing on your kale salad? The spaghetti sauce on your zucchini noodles? Added sugar can easily sabotage an otherwise healthy diet, causing confusion and frustration in navigating food choices. Whether realized or not, the average American consumes 126.4 grams of sugar a day – beating out every other country in the world. For reference, the recommended consumption for a 2,000 calorie diet is 50 grams a day.
A rise in awareness of the health issues that correlate to sugar intake (diabetes, obesity, heart disease..) and an increase in more ingredient-conscious food consumption, have created an evolving low/no sugar market for the processed foods industry. For both existing companies and startups, growing into this market provides immense opportunity, but also an immense challenge. Though today’s consumer is more nutritionally aware than ever, we’re still talking about the Treat Yo’ Self generation, and they aren’t interested in a compromise. What we mean is, they want their cake, and they want it to taste like cake, too.
Added sugars are incorporated into many processed foods to enhance taste, texture and other desired qualities. Finding a way around these villainous additions while maintaining a quality product is no easy feat, but science is making it happen. A low-glycemic natural cane sugar product by Nutrition Innovation, a startup from Singapore, is already being tested by food and beverage companies in other countries. Their patented process retains some of the nutritional benefits that are naturally occurring in cane sugar, and can be produced at a fraction of the cost of refined sugar. Israeli-founded Better Juice, has developed a method for reducing sugar in fruit juice by 30-80%, with little to no effect on overall production costs. Douxmatok, another Israeli company, is getting into consumers heads by using a unique molecule-binding process to increase the brain’s perception of sweetness, without actually increasing the quantity of sugar.
The race to meet consumer demand for guilt-free indulgences is hot as companies, investors, and retailers alike are interested in this industry sweet spot. In fact, just from 2015 to 2017, low sugar, reduced or no-sugar food launches increased by over 19%. Though many of today’s fad diets support no sugar, cutting the sweet stuff is not just a trend. The known health-related repercussions of too much sugar have made it clear that reducing sugar-intake is a necessity for the food and beverage industry as a whole. Companies that turn a blind eye to this industry shift will eventually face bitter consequences as consumers find brands that give them great taste and offer healthier options.
At LMS we’ve built our business by working with the best of the best. Our clients are innovative, industry-disrupting companies that produce high-quality products that truly benefit their consumers’ lives. By hand-picking a superior roster, LMS has been able to broker some killer investments and partnerships, including, but certainly not limited to, Beyonce and WTRMLN WTR, Ellie Goulding and CORE Hydration, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Daily Harvest. We could keep going, but there’s more to cover – if you want to learn more about our celeb partnerships, you know where to find us! As the low and no-sugar market has developed, we’ve kept our eye out for the cream of the crop of brands. Here are our current favorites:
From the LMS Family:
LMS coordinated activation for @dailyharvest
Daily Harvest: Organic, chef-crafted frozen foods delivered to your door. Their products include ready-to-blend smoothies, harvest bowls, oat bowls and more. LMS ran an insanely successful affiliate program for Daily Harvest that was 600 influencers strong and drove 12%-15% of sales month over month.
LMS produced content + giveaway for @knowfoods
KNOW Foods: Your favorite snacks, but better for you! KNOW Foods is all about bridging the gap between typical junk food to whole foods like nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. They use a sugar alternative (allulose) to craft guilt-free and diet-friendly cakes, waffles, cookies and more. LMS is currently spreading the love for KNOW through influencer marketing and social media content management.
LMS coordinated activation for @eatsnowmonkey
Snow Monkey – Reinvented ice cream made only from fruits, seeds and superfoods. Go ahead, eat the whole pint! LMS ran an influencer program for Snow Monkey that resulted in an average engagement rate of 4.20% – about 2% above the industry average. Sweet!
Other Brands we Stan:
Olipop – Ohh… it’s about to pop off in the soda industry! Olipop is a soda alternative with no added sugars, made of a range of eight different plant based ingredients to benefit digestive health. Finally, you’re free to enjoy a sweet, fizzy cola.
Smart Sweets – Smart Sweets is doing it all right. Started by 22-year-old, Tara Bosch, this immensely successful, young brand’s mission is to “Kick Sugar, Keep Candy.” Promising no sugar, sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners in their products, Bosch has found a way to make candy classics naturally delicious. Sales are pretty sweet too as the company’s revenue is expected to triple in 2019 to reach nearly $38 million.
Kin Euphorics – Let’s party and feel good about it! Kin Euphorics has developed an alcohol alternative (High Rhode) with zero sugar and an array of functional benefits, all without losing its buzz. Harnessing balancing adaptogens, replenishing nootropics, and nourishing botanics, this sleek company has traded intoxication for innovation, resulting in a bliss-inducing game-changing product.
Ok ‘scuse us, now. We need to go stuff our faces with these guilt-free noms! What are some of your favorite brands that feature low or no sugar?
Interested in how LMS can sweeten your biz? We provide a variety of services ranging from influencer and celebrity marketing and social media management to content and event production. Contact us today to learn more!