Why no mainstream sugar free candy?

Cafe Society
41

People eat candy for the sugar. A lot of the time they drink soda because they are thirsty, or for the caffeine. Coffee has a very strong flavor, and the sugar is a very minor part of the package – I suppose there’s someone out there who drinks coffee for the sugar, but that’s a tiny part of the market.

I wish my local merchant would make me that offer. :frowning:

I have friends with diabetes who eat very dark chocolate. One tells me that 85% chocolate is no problem for him. Since that’s what I carry when I travel, I often share with him.

42

Yeah, hard candies. Ugh. And I get that replacing the sugar there is a problem.

But gum? What’s so hard about putting a decent, zero-calorie, sweetener in them?

I’ve gone thru our large grocery stores entire stock of gums and not one of the sugar-free ones has a non-awful sweetener in it.

I’m sure that someone will post “Well, try X because it has stevia in it.” But like the title of the thread says “… mainstream …”. I don’t think I should have to hunt out for stores that sell such things (esp. in form or flavor I prefer) or buy them online.

43

I’m surprised at how often, at the request of a customer, I’ll bring in an obscure beer or some specific brand of something or other and they’ll thank me and say “I asked everyone and no one else could get it for me”. To which I usually explain that we all work with mostly the same vendors, if I can get a product so can anyone else in the area, they just chose not to for whatever reason.

But then, if I’m worried I won’t be able to sell it in the store, I’ll tell them they have to take the whole case. Generally, especially when it’s something like a hard to find beer from a small brewery a few states away or a certain type of canned tomatoes for the Italian grandmother that uses them for making pasta sauce, it’s not a problem. It’s when it’s something expensive or in way too big of a quantity. No one wants to buy 30 octopuses so they have have a few for Christmas or case gluten free bread when they just want a loaf.

Anyway, get away from the chain/corporate places and talk to the owner at a mom and pop store. You’ll have much better luck that way. If it’s something you’ll use fast enough, offer to take the whole case if they can get it in.

44

it’s possible that the “non-awful” sweeteners just don’t work in that role. it’s mentioned upthread that sugar provides a lot of properties of candy other than just sweetness. Bulk, binding, texture, etc. a heck of a lot of artificial sweeteners only require a tiny amount to equal the sweetness of a lot more sugar, so the remainder has to be made up with other ingredients like agar, guar/xanthan gum, etc. all of which affects flavor and other properties.

45

There’s no conspiracy going on. EVERY product on the open market is there to make money. If it doesn’t sell well enough or costs more to develop and manufacture, there’s less of it.

Again, simple economics. It costs money and takes time to test and market new sweeteners. Then there’s customer acceptance of the new product, risking losing them by the sweetener change whether it’s perceptible or not. Do the change without any ads or package marking and the consumers will complain that their product doesn’t taste the same. Actively announce and note the change on the packaging and consumers will wonder and complain about what was wrong with the old sweetener.

Coca Cola is a classic example when they switched to other sweeteners other than cane sugar. Some like me, whether true or not claim they can taste the difference between cane sugar and non-sugar Coke. There’s a market for Mexican Coke which has cane sugar and Coca Cola even brings out limited edition cane sugar Coke during the holidays, though that’s mostly marketing.

The banning of cyclamate in the '70’s is a prime example of how hard it is for manufacturers to switch sweeteners. Manufacturers to switched to saccharine and sugar, but it took time for production and distribution for these new products to hit store shelves. Many consumers didn’t like the switch and sales dropped for a while. In some cases, products were completely withdrawn.

46

Do you charge more for the special order product since you’ll probably have to pay more since you’re not buying multiple cases now or in the future. If you do, it’s perfectly fair. If you don’t you’re extremely generous. In either case, kudos to you!

As you and I have stated, every bit of retail space costs money and has sales value. There’s a huge ongoing battle going on between Coke and Pespi for retail space in stores and soda fountains in restaurants and fast food outlets. Customers complain and threaten to boycott an establishment when they switch from Coke to Pepsi or vice-versa, but the truth is, the discounts and higher return on sales by offering the new product more than makes up for the consumer loss. The same marketing strategy and deals applies to retail stores. If say there’s 8 taps on a fountain, only one or two will be for diet drinks and there may be two regular Coke or Pepsi taps because they’re the best sellers.

47

But I’ve had gum with aspartame. It was great. But an early sample pack only. And I doubt the sugar-alcohols have notable texture, etc. properties.

48

More about the ramifications of changing ingredients in edible products.

This article talks about the nearly decade long disappearance of red M&Ms that were never made with Red Dye #2: https://priceonomics.com/why-red-mandms-disappeared-for-a-decade/

How does that correlate with using different sweeteners in sugar-free candy?

  1. Ever since the cyclamate ban* in 1969, consumers became more aware and wary of sugar substitutes and ingredient warnings and bans. Indirectly, this wariness and potential fear is carried through to other ingredients. OMG! Product XXX is dangerous! Don’t eat anything made with Product XXX and we don’t know if Product YYY is really safer!

In the case of red M&M’s which used always used Red Dye #40 instead of Red Dye #2, Mars took the safe way out and removed red M&Ms for nearly a decade. Oddly, AFAIK, other red colored candies like Skittles and Hot Tamales weren’t affected by the potential “dangers” of Red Dye #2

*Ironically, the original testing was shown to be flawed and further testing didn’t give the same results that it was carcinogenic. However it still remains banned in the U.S. and even if it was allowed, would be very unlikely to be able to return to the market.

  1. M&M’s survived without Red M&Ms because it wasn’t the primary appeal of the candy. However, if an ingredient, say Stevia is a selling point of a sugar-free candy and research (especially marketing) shows that a different sweetener more closely replicates sugar, it’s not always a guaranteed winning change.

Again, look at Coca Cola’s instance that non cane sugar Coke tastes the same as cane sugar Coke. Coke is iconic enough that it can withstand the ingredient change, but what if there was a competing product that tasted exactly the same, but used cane sugar? How many people would flock to the competitor?

“A Coca-Cola spokeswoman, Kerry Tressler, points to company research showing no perceptible difference in taste. Maybe it just seems better from a cold glass bottle in place of the plastic and aluminum prevalent in the U.S.?”

Source: https://www.thebillfold.com/2013/11/does-mexican-coke-really-taste-different-from-coke-produced-in-the-u-s/

Few products in the candy realm and even fewer still in the sugar-free candy market are able to command the loyalty that Coke does.

49

Acesulfame K and aspartame are very heat-sensitive and probably wouldn’t work for temperatures required in candy-making.

I’ve had baked products made with Splenda, and the taste and texture are not the same as are the same or similar products made with regular sugar. This may also be an issue with other non-sugar sweeteners.

(Not a small number of people who get certificates from culinary schools end up working in various test kitchens, and that includes test kitchens for things like this.)

50

Where does everyone live that stuff like Stevia is exotic? pretty much every major store has this stuff and has large sections of sugar free and low carb foods made from a variety of sugar substitutes as well as bags of the stuff in the baking sections.

51

The OP asked about sugar-free alternatives by major confectioners and isn’t just looking for similar products: “Skittles is a big one on my list, followed by any candy bar, Spree, peanut butter cups. etc…” and asking why they aren’t right next to the regular products: “There are lots of sugar free candies out there, But you have to search them out, nothing at the check out lane other than mints and gum”

He/she wants equal shelf space for “Seems like they are missing out on a large demographic of potential customers.” that accounted for ~5% ($115mil of ~$22bil) of chocolate sales in 2017 according to the article I linked to above.

52

Equal space? No. But just the existence of things like sugar free Skittles would be nice. I’d at least like them to make the attempt. Diet sodas are huge sellers, so I’m not the only non-diabetic who would rather avoid sugar.

53

Availability of sugar-free alternatives makes a big difference in people’s choices.

I remember reading years ago about how the percentage of sodas sold at grocery stores being sugar-free was something like 40%. But far less than that at restaurants, movie theaters, etc. That’s because many such places only offer one or at most two diet choices and several sugary ones. (The new machines at theaters where there’s a bunch of options to select are a boon to people like me. I want something without sugar and without caffeine, got it?)

OTOH, sales of diet sodas are falling since a lot of health conscious people are moving away from sodas completely.

54

The possibility of sugar-free Skittles was at least mentioned in 2015, note the highlighted part which supports what I said multiple times above, the general demand doesn’t warrant making them:

**"Wrigley won’t rule out sugar-free skittles as confectionery ad spend grows
**
Wrigley’ European confections business unit director Tony Lorman says ‘sugar-free confectionery’ for brands such as Skittles and Starburst could be a future option as he admits Wrigley is looking to build on its ethical relationships with customers.

By Thomas Hobbs 5 Feb 2015

Lorman, who previously worked at Mars UK, told Marketing Week that although he acknowledges the current pressures on sugary product brands, Wrigley will listen to the consumer first.

***“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t aware of the pressures on sugary food products but we don’t have anything to be ashamed of,” he said.

“I wouldn’t rule out introducing sugar-free Skittles or Starburst, it’s definitely something we think about, but at the moment the consumer seems more than comfortable with our retail proposition. If that changes we’d listen because we want to continue to be as ethical as possible as a producer.”

Lorman expects UK ad spend to rise in 2015 across Wrigley’s biggest confectionery brands such as Skittles and Starburst – something he says will be in line with a projected increase in sales.

Starburst recently launched a new TV campaign and revealed that brand sales were growing 5.6% year-on-year.

“At the moment we are trying to be as creative as possible with our marketing whether that’s including Michael Bolton in ads or through social media,” added Lorman.

“Consumers want confectionery to be a treat associated with fun and spontaneity and that marketing strategy is what’s working for us. “

Lorman also revealed that there will be an upcoming multimedia campaign around Skittles and its adoption of new small bottle packaging, which will launch into retailers later this year. Lorman describes the new packaging format as a “new, fun, on-the-go way of enjoying Skittles.”

Last year, Skittles, which is the UK’s biggest Facebook brand by ‘likes’, targeted Xbox gamers with its marketing."

Source: https://www.marketingweek.com/wrigley-wont-rule-out-sugar-free-skittles-as-ad-spend-projected-to-grow/

55

After eating some cake with fake sugar, I avoid fake sugar like the plague.

Too much sugar is bad for you, but so is fake sugar (for at least some people).

56

So contrary to what has been posted it is at least possible to make a sugar free Skittle. They should try it and give the market the last word. I don’t want all that sugar on my teeth and it’s hard to brush at work. I’d be the first in line to try a sugar free Skittle.

Now if they’d only take the opium out or whatever it is that’s in them that makes them so goddamned addictive. And don’t say it’s sugar because I can resist other sugary foods. Maybe it’s the bug juice in the coating.

57

I think the two quotes above are related. The soda machines at theaters involve dispensing flavored syrup and carbonated water - once you’ve figured out how to make the sugar-free syrup , it’s just a matter of adding the flavoring and carbonated water. The old machines had one, maybe two, sugar-free selections because there were multiple taps on the dispenser, each hooked to a 5 gallon box of syrup , and every additional sugar-free selection meant one fewer non-diet selection. The new ones use 1 liter canisters of concentrated flavors , which means that it can accommodate 20 or so base products ( Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite etc) and another 10 or so flavors ( orange, vanilla, lemon etc).

But I’m not so sure candy works the same way- I don’t know that you can substitute a certain amount of Splenda for a certain amount of sugar across the board. And even ordering online, Hershey’s has only one type of sugar-free baking chips, rather than the seven different types with sugar - presumably, that’s either because they haven’t figured out how to make the other six in sugar-free versions or because they don’t sell enough sugar-free chips to be worth dividing those sales among seven different products. No sugar-free Kit Kats, or Kisses or Almond Joys or … If they could both duplicate the favor and make enough money to be worthwhile, they would do it.

58

Just bought some Diet Orange Crush at the supermarket because it actually tastes like the regular version to me. I don’t buy diet or sugar free anything else, but figure if I can avoid a few unnecessary hundred calories without compromising taste, I’ll do it.

59

I don’t think that any of the sugar free candy that currently exists is no (or even low) calorie. Zero calorie soda is mostly water. Candy requires solid stuff which the chemists at Hersheys etc haven’t come up with a calorie-free substitute for (yet).
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60

Disclosure: I’ve spent my career working in market research, including working for a company that did formulation development work for food companies.

It’s important to understand that a company like Wrigley does not need to actually put a product in the market to learn if it’s going to be a success or a failure, thanks to their ability to do consumer testing and product testing. Big food companies come up with a lot of ideas for new products, and a lot of potential formulations for products, that never see the light of day, because they are able to screen out the likely failures during the product development and testing phases.

I will absolutely guarantee you that Wrigley, and the other candy companies, have done extensive market research on this topic. I will also absolutely guarantee you that food scientists at Wrigley and the other candy companies have done extensive product development work on coming up with sugar-free versions of Skittles and other candies (including, yes, the idea of “why don’t they try a different sugar-free sweetener?”).

Given all of that, the relatively small presence of sugar-free candies at grocery stores, and the absence entirely of sugar-free versions of candies like Skittles, are almost undoubtedly the result of one or more of the following:

  1. Consumer research has shown them that consumer interest in sugar-free candies is limited. Yes, I know you might find that hard to believe, but you might be surprised.
  2. Testing of prototype sugar-free products has shown them that their prototypes have significant issues, possibly including off-flavors, or texture issues, as well as the laxative effect that has been noted upthread.

The relative lack of sugar-free candies, and sugar-free Skittles in particular, is not a matter of candy companies being oblivious to the potential demand for them. It’s undoubtedly the result of (a) low demand for those products, and/or (b) inability to make a sugar-free product that performs well, given the current state of the art in sugar-free sweeteners.

Also, as noted upthread: a candy like Skittles is, in fact, mostly sugar. Here’s the nutrition facts for Skittles – it notes that, for a 40 gram “serving,” 30 grams of that is sugar. In other words, Skittles are 75% sugar, and that likely makes creating a sugar-free version particularly challenging.