BRAZIL – Arla Food Ingredient’s South American team is preparing three recipes to demonstrate to food manufacturers in Brazil how to adapt to the country’s forthcoming regulations on sugar labeling.

They are planning to feature whey permeate Variolac when illustrating how the three recipes can eliminate “added sugar” from ingredient lists and reduce the number of ingredients listed on the pack.

The novel recipes or concepts – fermented dairy beverage, UHT beverage, and UHT dessert – highlight the benefits of Variolac as a dairy solid modulator and demonstrate how its inclusion facilitates “no added sugar” claims.

Whey permeates ingredient spreads into many different dairy categories such as fermented products, milk beverages, desserts, and cheese spreads, because it is the most cost-effective dairy solid on the market and is capable of replacing sweet whey powder, lactose, and skimmed milk powder.

Whey permeates acts like a bulking agent with a sweet and milky flavor, and equally enhances added flavors, such as chocolate and vanilla.

According to an Arla Foods Ingredients survey, healthier eating is a growing trend in Brazil, and “Taking better care of health” is the goal for 2022, most mentioned by 66% of Brazilian consumers, while 51% say they are currently avoiding sugar.

Additionally, new food labeling regulations will come into effect in October in Brazil and require producers to include front-of-pack warning signs that inform consumers about high levels of added sugar, saturated fats, and sodium except for sugars naturally present in milk and dairy ingredients.

Diego Pérez Márquez, Regional Technical Support, Arla Foods Ingredients, South America has highlighted that nutritional labeling helps consumers make conscious choices when purchasing food and drink for themselves and for their families.

Innova Market Insights points out that many governments are trying to regulate the added sugar in commodities by imposing sugar taxes and regulating advertisements targeting children.

The added sugars are linked to causing dental caries and the widely held view is that high sugar consumption is a causative factor for a range of conditions, including weight gain, diabetes, and hyperactivity in children.

Arla Foods Ingredients reports that “No added sugar” claims are growing by 18% globally each year and there is an increasing demand for manufacturers to include the claim on product labels.

Additionally, Arla predicts that Whey permeate is capable of replacing sweet whey powder, lactose, and skimmed milk powder because it is the most cost-effective dairy solid on the market.

Arla Food Ingredients has 3 production facilities in Argentina, Denmark, and Norway which offer whey permeate that are Kosher & Halal certified.

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