Natural Sweeteners Market Size, Industry Potential Outlook Report, Regional Analysis (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Russia, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Argentina, UAE, South Africa, Saudi Arabia), Application Development, Competitive Landscape & Forecast, 2020 - 2026

Shifting consumer preferences towards naturally sourced ingredients in their foods and beverages is propelling natural sweeteners market growth. Soft drink producers, especially, are witnessing a changing trend among consumers, wherein the demand for beverages with reduced sugar content is growing steadily, spurring the companies to replace conventional sugar with alternatives, including artificial and natural sweeteners.
 

Natural sweeteners refer to organically sourced carbohydrates with no artificial production or synthesis processes. These sweeteners are extracted predominantly from trees, roots, seeds, vegetables and nuts. Natural sweeteners are commonly used as a substitute for processed sugar, imparting taste similar to sugar, albeit with lesser calories and better digestibility, among other benefits. Popular natural sweeteners include nectar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, date sugar, coconut sugar, xylitol and agave.
 

One of the key trends driving natural sweeteners market expansion is the growing adoption of stevia as the preferred sugar substitute. Stevia is one of the most popular natural sweeteners in recent times and is derived from a plant native to South America. Rising consumer propensity towards products made from natural ingredients has led to increased adoption of stevia in the food & beverage industry, owing to its diverse applicability from sauces, fruit, dairies, confectionaries to both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. Over the past five years, nearly 10,000 new stevia-based food & beverages have been introduced, with over 24% of these launches concentrated on soft drink production.
 

Despite certain challenges presented by stevia usage, such as a bitter aftertaste, several food & beverage manufacturers have made strong efforts to innovate and develop products that do not face this issue. For instance, Coca-Cola, in collaboration with stevia producer Pure Circle, developed and marketed a new Coca-Cola Stevia No Sugar product in New Zealand, using a stevia glycoside Reb M, which imparts a sweetness similar to sugar with no aftertaste. Many other food & beverage producers have followed suit and incorporated stevia as the preferred sweetening agent in their products, thus boosting natural sweetener industry demand.
 

One of the most prominent applications of natural sweeteners is in the bakery segment. Escalating concerns regarding weight gain and related issues have driven bakery producers to seek alternatives to calorie-rich refined sugars which are commonly used to make the goods. The rapid replacement of sucrose with low calorie alternatives by bakers in recent years is likely to add impetus to natural sweeteners market penetration in the segment.
 

Global natural sweeteners market is highly consolidated and consists of prominent players, including manufacturers like Cargill, GLG life Tech Corp, Monk Fruit Corp, Tate & Tyle Plc., Evolva Holdings S.A., PureCircle and Stevia Corp, as well as suppliers such as Nestle, The Coca-Cola Company, and PepsiCo
 

Product launches, partnerships and other such business strategies are being undertaken by these market players, in an effort to broaden their global presence and maintain a strong position in the natural sweeteners market.
 

For instance, biotech company & natural ingredient supplier Amyris and AB Mauri North America, a yeast and baking ingredients supplier have entered a multi-year sale and purchase agreement for Amyris’ Purecane Reb M zero-calorie sweeteners for use in bakery activities. The alliance has been made in an effort to revolutionize the US, Canada and Mexico industrial baking industries, by supporting AB Mauri’s customers in the production of low-sugar-based baked items with no flavor-, texture- or product appeal-loss.
 

Meanwhile, Cargill and DSM, in a joint partnership, dubbed Avansya, have developed a new stevia formula EverSweet, which is designed to impart sweetness without the licorice or bitter aftertaste which is commonly associated with the product.
 

The temporary closure of businesses, and other measures such as self-quarantine and social distancing, necessitated by the onslaught of the novel coronavirus pandemic, has taken a toll on many aspects of regular life, including normal food practices. With supply-demand logistics taking a considerable hit due to the crisis, the access to fresh food was limited, leading consumers to compromise on varied and health diets and turn to processed and convenient foods, most of which contain high concentrations of sugars, fats, and salts.
 

However, with nations across the globe taking myriad efforts to contain further spread of the virus, authorities are increasingly advocating for foods which can boost the immune system. The consumption of foods with natural plant-sourced ingredients, which are fiber-rich, is being encouraged, which in turn is likely to open up several lucrative growth avenues for the natural ingredient domain, including the natural sweeteners market, as economies work to find their bearings and repurpose policies towards more resilient and sustainable food systems.
 

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