For years, food and beverage companies like Pepsi Co. have tweaked their use of sugar and sweetener substitutes to find just the right mixture that aligns with consumers’ tastes and perception of a healthy lifestyle. Instead of fiddling around with different kinds of sweeteners like aspartame or Splenda, Nestlé hit the laboratory to create its own version of the crystallized ingredient. 

The New York Times reports that Nestlé, the company behind Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, SweeTarts, Crunch bars, and countless other chocolate and confectionary treats, has developed a new way of restructuring sugar that allows the company to reduce the amount of the ingredient used in its sweet treats while maintaining the same taste.

Nestlé expects to begin using the new sugar in products starting in 2018, estimating it will reduce the amount of sweetener in its confectionery items by as much as 40%.

While the company didn’t provide specific details about how the product was created, the Times reports, Nestlé chief technology officer Dr. Stefan Catsicas claims the sugar is simply assembled in a way that it dissolves in the mouth and doesn’t travel to the gastrointestinal tract.

Such a large change to the way sugar is created could be a game changer for the food and beverage industry, Marion Nestle, a professor in the department of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, who has no relation to the company, tells the Times.

Nestlé says it could eventually sell the sugar to other companies, but Catsicas cautions the product can’t be mixed with coffee or used to sweeten soda.

Nestlé Reformulates Sugar and Says It Will Use Less in Its Candy [The New York Times]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.