Artificial Sweeteners: A Global Strategic Business Report
San Jose, California (PRWEB) November 12, 2012
Follow us on LinkedIn – In recent years, the growing incidence of life threatening conditions such as diabetes and obesity is leading to greater emphasis on physical well being. People suffering from conditions such as these are constantly looking for ways to maintain a healthy life and therefore are turning to products that provide them an easy and a stable remedy for such ailments. In this context, artificial sweeteners have emerged as potent products, as they help in managing such ailments, without the need for consumers to give up intake of various food and beverage products. Artificial sweeteners that were initially targeted at the diabetic populace, have slowly found their way into the food and beverage industry, as the market for diet food products took off at a robust pace. Foods and drinks such as confectionery, soft drinks, juices, sauces and condiments, marketed as ‘diet’, ‘low-calorie’, ‘low-sugar’ or ‘lite’ are the products that are generally sweetened by such sweeteners. Owing to such widespread applications in myriad products, the global market for artificial sweeteners is heavily impacted by the performance of various end-use markets and generally reflects the trends in these sectors.
In general, companies engaged in the production of artificial sweeteners seek market domination by developing novel products based on proprietary compounds and huge R&D investments. However, slow regulatory review process and stringent government policies more often than not mar the growth prospects for artificial sweeteners. Most of the artificial sweeteners are associated with negative health effects such as headaches, dermatological problems, behavioral changes, mood variations, respiratory problems, and even cancer. To counter such issues, artificial sweetener producers are targeting R&D based upon Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) ingredients. A product based on GRAS ingredients can be launched in the market prior to the FDA approval provided its use as food additive is established and acknowledged as safe. Therefore, while there are reports that state artificial sweeteners are harmful for humans, there are also studies that conclude such sweeteners to be effective and safe for regular consumption. The availability of such contradictory data has caused widespread confusion among a large group of consumers, discouraging them from freely using low-calorie sweeteners either for table top use or consuming products which are artificially sweetened.
Rising concern over the safety of artificial sweeteners is paving way for increased acceptance of various natural sweeteners such as plant-extracted stevia, cane sugar and agave nectar in the market. Stevia-based sweeteners are emerging as major alternative to the existing low-calorie artificial sweeteners, owing to its ability to offer enhanced health benefits in comparison to other sweeteners. However, robust growth of this sugar substitute is currently hampered due to several issues, with the major ones being improper access to extraction and refining technology, lack of coordinated standards and unpleasant after-taste profile of the sweetener, among others.
The United States commands the largest individual share of the global artificial sweeteners market, as stated by the new market research report on Artificial Sweeteners. Growing health conscious population, rising incidence of diabetes, launch of newer products, increased access to health-related information, changing consumer needs, and rising costs of various competing sweeteners are the major driving forces for artificial sweeteners in the US market. High intensity sweeteners, despite their decreased usage in soft-drinks market, are likely to continue to grab a lion’s share in the US sweeteners market. Asia-Pacific represents the fastest growing regional market displaying a CAGR of about 4.6% over the analysis period. Propelled by markets such as Japan, Indian and China, Asia is fast becoming a manufacturing hub, with China in particular gaining importance as a leading market, both in terms of production and consumption of artificial sweeteners. While Japan is considered an important aspartame producing country, Singapore has become a focal point for sucralose, with international market leaders such as Tate & Lyle setting up production facility in the country.
Within the artificial sweeteners market, aspartame and sucralose garner significant share of the market. While Aspartame sweetener captures the largest chunk of the market and is largely used in diet soft drinks and food products, sucralose in combination with polyols finds application in sugarless gums. Sucralose represents the fastest growing artificial sweeteners segment owing to its usage in various end-use industries including the table-top sector. Saccharin which has long been considered to have a harmful effect on humans is now being regarded as safe for consumption, causing no negative effects on health. The substance which had been on the ‘list of hazardous substances’ in the US since 1981 due to fears of increased risk of bladder cancer, has been removed from the list in 2010 on the basis of research proving it be safe for consumption and having no carcinogenic indications.
Major players in the marketplace include Ajinomoto Co. Inc., Cumberland Packing Corporation, Hermes Sweeteners, Merisant, Spherix, and Tate & Lyle, among others.
The research report titled "Artificial Sweeteners: A Global Strategic Business Report" announced by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a comprehensive review of trends, issues, recent industry activity, and profiles of major companies worldwide. The report provides market estimates and projections in value terms (US$ Thousand) for product segments including, Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium, Saccharin, Sucralose and Other Artificial Sweeteners. Key geographic markets analyzed include the US, Canada, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain and Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World.
For more details about this comprehensive market research report, please visit –
http://www.strategyr.com/Artificial_Sweeteners_Market_Report.asp
About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.
Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
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