More than eighty percent of consumers find it difficult to accurately identify sugar-free foods

With the advancement of the Healthy China Initiative, sugar-free foods and beverages have become the choice of more and more consumers, but can consumers accurately identify sugar-free products in the face of a variety of shelves? According to a recent survey of Chinese consumers' awareness of sweeteners conducted by Kexin Food and Health Information Clearinghouse, more than eighty percent of consumers are likely
to be misled when purchasing sugar-free foods and beverages.

Under the trend of healthy consumption, sugar-free foods and beverages that replace sugar with sweeteners are becoming more and more abundant in the market, and the penetration rate of sugar-free beverages is the highest
among various categories.
According to the survey, nearly 85% of consumers have purchased sugar-free carbonated drinks, 66% have purchased sugar-free coffee and tea, and 59% have purchased sugar-free chewing gum, while categories such as sugar-free ice cream and sugar-free chocolate need to be further developed
.

Excessive sugar intake increases the risk of
dental caries, overweight and obesity.
With the implementation of the Healthy China Initiative, more and more consumers are aware of the negative effects of excessive intake of added sugars on the body, and sugar-free foods and beverages have become a healthier choice
in the minds of consumers.
According to the survey, more than 60% of consumers choose sugar-free products as the primary factor being "healthier", and nearly 18% of consumers choose sugar-free products
out of curiosity.

Many consumers will check the label when purchasing food and beverages, and the survey found that nearly 80% of consumers judge whether the product is sugar-free through labels such as "sucrose-free" and "0 sucrose", which may be
misled.
Ding Gangqiang, director of the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out that "0 sucrose" is only without sucrose, not necessarily sugar-free, consumers also need to look at the ingredient list for fructose syrup, crystalline fructose, honey, concentrated fruit juice, jam and other sugary ingredients
.

The survey also found that consumers' perception of sugar and sweeteners is vague and there is a lot of confusion
.
For example, about 70% of consumers believe that saccharin is sugar, about 60% of consumers believe that sucralose and stevia are sugar, and nearly 30% of consumers believe that crystalline fructose is not sugar
.

Zhong Kai, director of the Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center, suggested that public science popularization should be strengthened, and consumers should be guided to read food labels and nutrition labels to reasonably purchase food
.
At the same time, people with high blood sugar and diabetics should also pay attention to flour, starch and other ingredients in food ingredients that can cause blood sugar to rise, or refer to the doctor's advice to choose food
.