A popular dieting trend in the 1980s, innovative reduced-fat and sugar products sustained their market momentum into the 1990s. Now, the market seems to have stalled. The price, the naturalness of the ingredients and the “slimming” benefits of reduced-fat and sugar products are all being called into question.

Low-fat products - low-fat milk and fromage blanc - first appeared in France in 1964. After the introduction of low-fat yoghurts, margarine and butter, the market rapidly diversified. It now includes drinks, jams, purées, confectionary, biscuits (sweet and savory), cereals, soups, sauces, ready-meals and, more recently, ice-cream and pizzas.

A popular dieting trend in the 1980s, innovative reduced-fat and sugar products sustained their market momentum into the 1990s. Some products have been huge commercial successes. For dairy products, for example, semi-skimmed milk is now the leading product, with a 60% share of the milk market.

In the sweetened drinks market, “light” versions continue to expand, with a market share higher in the north (50%) than in the south of Europe (20-25%, with France at around 30%.

However, for two years running, reduced-fat and sugar products have ground to a halt, with the exception of drinks, with some sectors reporting a fall in sales (biscuits, cheeses and desserts) or disappearing altogether (low-fat ice-creams).

The possible reason for this is that consumers are basing their decisions on a range of factors, including price, taste, the naturalness of ingredients, and a preference for other nutritional claims, while the slimming benefits of reduced-fat and sugar products is now being called into question.

What do we know about the consumption of these products?

To know more about the consumption of low-sugar products, the CEDUS asked CREDOC to analyse data from the INCA2 national survey, performed by AFSSA in 2006/2007. The Cedus/Credoc 2009 survey shows that 35% of adults surveyed consumed one low-sugar product at least once a week, mainly in the form of drinks, fresh produce or purées. However, these people consumer larger quantities of these products, whether they are low-sugar or not - between 30% and 50% more!

What’s clear is that the consumers of low-sugar products in this study are mainly female, of whom a high proportion are on a calorie-controlled diet. Consumers of low-sugar products consume fewer calories, and less alcohol and fats. But they are, paradoxically, the category of consumers with the highest share of sugars in their calorie intake, compared with the population as a whole!

This may seem paradoxical, but can be explained in particular by the tendency of these consumers to consume more sweetened or fruit-based fresh dairy products, rather than starchy foods and in higher proportions compared with more fatty products.

It should also be noted that recent studies have shown that a product featuring a “low or reduced” nutritional or health claim is a product that is consumed in larger quantities by the consumer, often unconsciously.