Prepared Foods: What trends do you see involving natural sugar and options such as honey, coconut sugar or beet sugar?  

Elizabeth Sisel: From a beverage development viewpoint, so much comes down to cost. Ingredients such as honey or coconut sugar can be pricy. Given the economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, these pricier options may be less attractive to brands and consumers even though consumers may perceive them as more natural. Additionally, neither coconut sugar nor honey are neutral tasting, which could impact flavor.

Beet sugar and cane sugar are safe choices from both a cost and taste perspective. Sometimes customers want to call out the source being from beet or cane instead of just putting “sugar” on an ingredient statement, but both have a clean taste and are affordable ingredient options.

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