INGREDIENT trends Seeki sweet T he number of consumers seeking to reduce sugar in their diet has plateaued in the past few years, according to the International Food Information Council's (IFIC) Food & Health Survey. Seventy-two percent of those surveyed in 2020 and 2021 said they were limiting or avoiding sugars, down from 80% in 2019 and 77% in 2018. The numbers are still high but show the issue may be of less concern to some consumers or they have found suitable alternatives. Sugar also is top-of-mind when consumers are reviewing Nutrition Facts panels. It ranks at the top of the ingredients adult consumers look for on the label, with 56% of consumers 18 and older saying they look for sugar, according to The NPD Group, Chicago. Calories and sodium are No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Prompting consumers to be more mindful 56% of consumers look at sugar content when reviewing the Nutrition Facts Label. Source: The NPD Group 20 | Culinology | DECEMBER 2021 of sugar intake also may be regulatory changes that have occurred during the past few years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began enforcing the mandatory declaration of added sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label in 2020. Added sugars are defined as those that either are added during the processing of foods, or are packaged as such, and include sugars (free, mono