Nils-Gerrit Wunsch
Research expert covering foods trends in North America, Europe, and the global food system
Sugar substitutes and sweeteners in the U.S. - statistics & facts
Sweeteners are one of the most used types of food additives. In the United States, sugar is the most popular among them. About 36 percent of consumers in the U.S. use sugar to sweeten their foods and beverages.
However, increasing health concerns about their sugar intake have caused consumers to search for possible substitutes. Substitutes for sugar (sucrose) from beet and cane can take a wide variety of forms. The substitutes fall within two dimensions. They are either caloric or non-caloric and they are either naturally occurring or artificially produced.
The United States is well known for its corn sweeteners. Per-capita consumption of corn sweeteners in the country came to almost 53 pounds. High fructose corn syrup consumption accounted for about two-thirds of the total per capita consumption. It is by far the most well-known corn sweetener. And while fructose or fruit sugar contains the same calorie content as sucrose, its chemical makeup differs from common sugar and it is generally thought to be healthier. Other corn sweeteners contain sugars such as glucose or dextrose. Annually, over 8,600 short tons of corn sweetener is used in food and beverages in the U.S. However, both per capita consumption and use of corn sweeteners in food manufacturing is seeing a downward trend. Other additions to the group of caloric sweeteners are artificially created sugars such as Allulose. These sugars may have much fewer calories than common table sugar.
At the end of the 19th century, the first artificial sweetener was invented that had no caloric content. Saccharin stands at the beginning of a long list of artificial sweeteners that boast no or low caloric content. Even some artificial sugars, such as Sucralose, may have no caloric content. The U.S. market for artificial sweeteners is closing in on a value of 600 million U.S. dollars, which it is predicted to exceed in 2022. While the majority of non-caloric sweeteners are artificial, sweeteners that occur in nature and have no calories exist, such as Stevia. When it comes to actual food manufacturing, different sweeteners get mixed often with others to produce a wide variety of tastes, sweetness, and calorie content.
Caloric sweeteners
The United States is well known for its corn sweeteners. Per-capita consumption of corn sweeteners in the country came to almost 53 pounds. High fructose corn syrup consumption accounted for about two-thirds of the total per capita consumption. It is by far the most well-known corn sweetener. And while fructose or fruit sugar contains the same calorie content as sucrose, its chemical makeup differs from common sugar and it is generally thought to be healthier. Other corn sweeteners contain sugars such as glucose or dextrose. Annually, over 8,600 short tons of corn sweetener is used in food and beverages in the U.S. However, both per capita consumption and use of corn sweeteners in food manufacturing is seeing a downward trend. Other additions to the group of caloric sweeteners are artificially created sugars such as Allulose. These sugars may have much fewer calories than common table sugar.
Non-caloric sweeteners
At the end of the 19th century, the first artificial sweetener was invented that had no caloric content. Saccharin stands at the beginning of a long list of artificial sweeteners that boast no or low caloric content. Even some artificial sugars, such as Sucralose, may have no caloric content. The U.S. market for artificial sweeteners is closing in on a value of 600 million U.S. dollars, which it is predicted to exceed in 2022. While the majority of non-caloric sweeteners are artificial, sweeteners that occur in nature and have no calories exist, such as Stevia. When it comes to actual food manufacturing, different sweeteners get mixed often with others to produce a wide variety of tastes, sweetness, and calorie content.
