Mondelez International has decided to discontinue the production of a variant of its Cadbury Dairy Milk, which contains 30% less sugar compared to the original flagship bar.
The confectionery giant introduced these bars in 2019 as a part of its initiatives aimed at reducing sugar content in its products sold in the UK and Ireland.
Back then, the US-based company declared that the new bar marked a momentous innovation in the brand’s history and underscored the company’s ongoing dedication to contributing to the fight against obesity, particularly childhood obesity, in the UK.
Nevertheless, Mondelez has disclosed that demand for the bar had declined, despite the company’s assertion that it had made substantial investments in advertising to promote the product.
“We not only invested heavily in developing a bar that consumers told us tasted great but also in promoting it through a nationwide marketing campaign. Despite these efforts, demand for this product has dropped and we have sadly taken the decision to delist it,“ a Mondelez spokesperson said.
The owner of Oreo highlighted its ongoing initiatives to introduce “healthier” snack options within the Cadbury Dairy Milk brand, including products like the Fruitier and Nuttier bars.
In the past few years, chocolate manufacturers have aimed to introduce chocolate with reduced sugar content. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) halving its recommended sugar intake in 2015, sugar became a focal point for health advocates, medical experts, and public health organizations.
Since then, there has been mounting pressure on food manufacturers to reduce sugar content in all product categories, even in cases where this can be a formidable task, such as in the realm of chocolate confectionery. In certain markets, like the UK, manufacturers have been subject to targets, albeit voluntary ones, aimed at reducing the sugar content in their food offerings. Additionally, producers of sugary snacks such as confectionery have faced restrictions on the placement and sale of their products within retail stores.
In 2020, Nestlé ceased production of Milkybar Wowsomes, a low-sugar chocolate utilizing a “hollow sugar” process, which enabled the product to assert a 30% reduction in sugar content. This particular product was withdrawn from the UK and Ireland markets in February 2020, following two years of lackluster performance.
In July, the Swiss company introduced a novel technology designed to lower sugar levels in various food and beverage product categories. Nestlé explained that this technology utilizes an enzymatic process, effectively reducing inherent sugars in ingredients like malt, milk, and fruit juices by as much as 30%, all while preserving taste and texture with minimal impact.