Austrian dairy reduces sugar
In Austria, the Berglandmilch brands – Schärdinger, Tirol Milch and Lattella – are reducing sugar in many products. More than five years ago the sugar contents of the various products such as Schärdinger dreams, Tirol milk fruit yogurts and Lattella fruit whey were reduced step by step.
“We took our consumers along on the journey to familiarise themselves with less sweetness,” said Josef Braunshofer, managing director of Berglandmilch (pictured).
For Schärdinger and Tirol Milch, less sugar is not replaced by sweeteners, so milk products may also taste less sweet. Over the last two years the sugar added to Schärdinger yogurt dreams has been reduced more than 25%.
The Austrian association SIPCAN recommends a total sugar content of up to 12g/100ml for dairy products. In this total, sugar content of 12g of fructose or naturally contained in the milk lactose is already included.
In the case of fruit yogurt about 4% of the declared total sugar content is accounted for by natural lactose. However, the sweetness of lactose is only about one-third (39%) of the sweetness of conventional table sugar.
Schärdinger dreams and Lattella fruit whey are already are below the SIPCAN recommended value of a maximum of 12g/100ml including lactose.
For new developments, special attention is being paid to the sugar content. All ingredients of the new Schärdinger Smoojo Bowl are natural and contain no added granulated sugar.
In order to be able to impose a reduced sugar content, 30% less sugar must be present compared to a conventional product. The Schärdinger My Line product range has achieved this goal. These products contain 30% less sugar than comparable milk mix drinks and no sweeteners or flavors.
“Milk is a healthy food. Accordingly, we also appreciate the appropriate sugar content of our products. We have already reduced significantly in recent years and have not stopped yet,” said Braunshofer.
