The revolution is coming!

I’m not the most regular blogger, and I do know that I must improve. These days blogging is such an important way of interacting with your readers, so in an attempt to spur myself into action, I have asked a colleague to write something for me on an issue that is both topical and relevant to the confectionery industry… And here’s what he came up with… I look forward to hearing your views on the matter…

The sugar free revolution is upon us, have no doubt, and with the media outlets available to us all today, it will be more than just televised. The salt police have seemingly won their campaign, and now the sugar mob are coming to a town near you!

We are being told that sugar is the enemy, but what has happened to the too much of anything is just that… too much!

Too much water is too much isn’t it? Or perhaps too much fibre in your diet would be a bad thing? Of course it would, because it’s too much.

In my experience, telling someone to do something will often result in them doing the complete opposite and this is especially true when it comes to children.

Instead of a campaign to abolish this naturally occurring and necessary treat, perhaps what we need is a more reasoned argument as to why a good balance of good and so-called bad foods is a better idea.

Take away my sugar and I will get grumpy. Tell me I can’t have it at all and I will rebel. Reason that I might try and balance my sugar intake with healthier options for the good of my health or the health of my children and I will listen intently.

Sugar is a naturally occurring product. We need it to live. Without glucose we would all be in a very bad way indeed. So are the sugar free alternatives any better for you than the real thing?

Remember the scare with artificial sweeteners? ‘Don’t use them’ we were told, they’ll put you at risk of cancer. While this may not have been proven beyond reasonable doubt, there continues to come to the surface many reports on the detrimental effects these products can have on human beings.

One recent study by Eran Segal and Eran Elinav, of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, reported in the journal Nature, found that artificial sweeteners may alter digestive bacteria and, according to Elinav, “may affect the microbiome in ways that cause glucose intolerance in some people”.

Is it true? We’ll have to wait and see. But it wouldn’t be surprising if something labelled as ‘artificial’ turns out to be bad.

Artificial sweeteners are more likely to be used by those who are already overweight or obese and they may not be helping the cause by resorting to these products. Surely, as I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, it would be better to advocate the healthy balance approach, rather than to offer false hope in the form of a product engineered by scientists – wouldn’t it?

Finally, before my little rant comes to an end, what about the taste? In a taste test between sugar-free and regular products, how many of you could put your hand on your heart and say you prefer the lower sugar option – especially when it comes to sweets?

For me they are just not the same. I would rather have a few less than resort to an inferior tasting product. After all, isn’t a sweet a treat? Don’t let’s take all of the fun out of it.

As always, our blog entries are designed to stimulate debate. Perhaps you agree with me on these matters and perhaps you do not. Whichever it is, please do respond via the comment section below and let’s get the conversation started.