Nestlé Creates New “Designer Sugar”

Nestlé, one of the world’s largest producers of candy and sugary treats, is giving an old product a new, low-carb look. The company has recently announced that it will be testing a new formula for its Milkybar Wowsomes, an 81-year-old product made famous by the gun-slinging “Milkybar Kid” ads, which captured the hearts (and wallets!) of Brits since the 1960’s. The twist? Nestlé’s new line of house-engineered “designer sugar” will be the star of the show, giving the product about 30 percent less sugar than the typical chocolate bar.

A Makeover for Milkybar

The road to a new Milkybar is far from sudden: Nestlé reportedly created 300 recipes over the course of the new Milkybar’s invention. The result of this intense research was the new method of “designer sugar” creation, which the company eventually hopes to incorporate into cereals and soft drinks. A longtime favorite of Nestlé consumers, the company hopes that the new formula will reinvigorate interest in the product by resonating with the changing values of a new generation of consumers.

Porous particles equal pastry perfection

First announced in 2016, Nestlé’s so-called designer sugar uses the incorporation of air in the processing of their sugar to offer the same great taste with a fraction of the carbohydrates. The sugar is made by spraying a mixture of milk, sugar, and water into warm air, which creates a type of foam that can be substituted for traditional sugar in Nestlé’s classic recipes without altering the taste of the product. Nestlé head of marketing Patricia Bula confirmed in an interview that the invention of this designer sugar is in part an attempt by the company to signal to consumers that Nestlé is aware and onboard with a culture that’s moving away from processed sugar.

“We felt it was important to signal that this brand is evolving and answering new consumer trends,” Bula confirmed in an interview with CNBC.1

A world with less sugar

Nestle is far from the only food and beverage brand suffering as a result of shifting consumer tastes. As millennial customers begin to dominate the market, an influx of natural, organic, and low-carb indie companies have seen massive success by cutting the sugar and offering more health-conscious options for snacking. Brands that were once considered cornerstones of the snack market (like Hershey’s, Coca-Cola, and Frito-Lay) are seeing a decline in profits as a result of this new competition. Like Nestle, major corporations understand that the race is on when it comes to developing products that appeal to a new generation of consumers that are thinking more about what they eat and fighting back against a culture saturated by sugar. Coca-Cola has been particularly active in their low-sugar expansion, rolling out and expanding products like Coke Zero, Coke Zero Sugar, and artificially-flavored Diet Coke in an attempt to hold onto their massive market share.

Will American consumers be munching on Milkybar Wowsomes in the near future? The company hopes to roll out the new products in Asia and Latin America before entering the fickle and highly competitive market of the United States. However, plans are in place to eventually roll out the new product to the good old red white and blue–so keep your eye on the shelves!