Here Are The Biggest Trends In Alternative Sweeteners

As the world gravitates to healthier food choices, the popularity of alternative sweeteners continues to surge. Gourmet Pro has listed Next Gen Sweeteners as one of its top food trends for 2024 and according to Whole Foods Magazine, the shift in tastes will be towards natural flavors and ingredients. For consumers, the demand for healthy options with a lower calorie content will also continue to drive tastes.

According to Sarah Diedrich, Marketing Director at Global Sweetening & Texturizing, ADM, the alternative sugar trend is being driven by the fact that 80% of U.S. adults are actively engaged in sugar reduction, while 57% of U.S. consumers are taking specific actions to manage their blood sugar.

But almost as viral as the shift towards alternative sweeteners, is the movement refuting their safety. Scientific articles on artificial sweeteners have been growing at an annual rate of 6.28%, with an average of close to 8000 authors per year, and surveys reveal that many consumers consider alternative sweeteners to be unhealthy.

So which sweeteners are poised to dominate the alternative sweetener market in the months and years to come, and how safe are they? Here are a few.

Liquid Grape Sugar

This alternative sugar has gained appeal for its application in foods for young

children. Environmentally friendly and hypoallergenic, it is considered to be a healthy alternative to plain sugar. It is also sweeter and has fewer calories than sugar, with a high nutrient and vitamin profile. Swicily, organic grape sugar from Sicily, based in the UK, is a liquid sugar made from organic grapes. According to Swicily, its “naturally high sweetening power smoothly melts with food, offering an absolutely balanced sweet experience with fewer calories per serving and lower glycemic load.”

Dates

Named as one of the top food trends for 2023 by Whole Foods, dates were most recently popularized when a single carton sold for a staggering 40,000 riyals in Saudi Arabia. Available in a variety of forms, including sugar, syrup and paste, date sweeteners were a popular item at the 2023 Natural Products Expo West. The drive towards dates both as a sweetener and as a food has been driven by consumer interest in natural, nutritious and clean products. Dates in their natural form are a good source of calcium, fiber, and antioxidants. In fact, date sugar was found to have the highest antioxidant content among a variety of alternative sweeteners.

Stevia

Stevia is one of the more popular safe and natural alternatives to sugar, having earned it FDA approval in 2008. Originating from the South American stevia plant, it can be consumed in powder or liquid form and is calorie-free, 100 to 300 times sweeter than sugar, and does not impact blood sugar like sugar. Having been around for slightly longer than some other natural sugar alternatives, the global market for Stevia grew to approximately $761 million by 2022, and is expected to grow further at a compound annual growth rate of 10.8% between 2023 and 2028.

Monk Fruit

Monk fruit, otherwise known as swingle fruit or Luo Han Guo, is an FDA-approved alternative sweetener originating from a sweet melon grown in Southeast Asia. It has gained wide appeal due to the fact that it is a clean label, calorie-free option that is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar and won’t cause blood sugar spikes.

Available in powder, granular and liquid forms, the sweet components in monk fruit are known to have high levels of antioxidants

According to Future Market Insights​, the global monk fruit ingredient market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.7% and is expected to be valued at $267.8m by 2032,

Allulose

Allulose is an emerging sweetener, naturally occuring in fruits, such as figs and raisins. While it is considered safe by the FDA as a safe additive to use in food, it

has received more controversial reviews than the other alternative sweeteners on this list. Structurally similar to regular sugar but about 70% as sweet and with 90% fewer calories, scientists have only recently discovered how to produce allulose on a larger scale, making it the new kid in town, as far as alternative sweeteners go. For those with digestive issues, it is important to note that the body cannot digest allulose, and thus it can cause gas and bloating.