Nestlé has unveiled its first product made with ‘hollow’ sugar crystals that reduce sugar content without affecting sweetness – with the supplier claiming a world first.
Milkybar Wowsomes contains aerated, porous sugar crystals that dissolve more quickly in the mouth. This allowed a consumer to “perceive the same level of sweetness as before while consuming less sugar” said Nestlé, which will debut the product in the UK and Ireland.
Made with milk and white chocolate with crispy oat in a creamy centre, Wowsomes had 30% less sugar than similar filled chocolate snacks, Nestlé claimed. Each SKU contains no more than 36.8g of sugar per 100g, while a regular Milkybar has 52.6g per 100g. Calories are similar, but Nestlé’s focus was on reducing sugar, said a spokeswoman for the Swiss supplier. “When sugar is removed, you need to replace it with something else that delivers taste and texture consumers prefer.” Nestlé would reduce calories and satfats “where we can” she added.
Nestlé first revealed in December 2016 that it was working on hollow sugar. It had taken little over a year for teams in Switzerland, the UK and the Czech Republic to “take the scientific and technological breakthrough and turn it into a new confectionery product”.
Rollout is set to begin in coming weeks, with two variants and three formats. It is the first time in Milkybar’s 81 years that it has launched a snack containing both milk and white chocolate.
“It is with great pride that the UK and Ireland becomes the first market in the world to use this exciting technology,” said Stefano Agostini, CEO of Nestlé UK&I.
“It is with great pride that the UK and Ireland becomes the first market in the world to use this exciting technology to create such a great-tasting confectionery product,” said Stefano Agostini, CEO of Nestlé UK&I. “Teams across our UK business and around the world have been working incredibly hard to make this launch a reality.”
He added that Wowsomes demonstrated how Nestlé “can, and will, contribute to a healthier future and that we take our public health responsibilities very seriously”.
Earlier this month, the company announced it had cut 7.4% of sugar across its confectionery portfolio as part of its pledge made in March 2017 to axe 10% by the end of this year. The work towards achieving the sugar reduction goals was “as much about taste as it is about reducing sugar and calories” said Agostini at the time.
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