Sugar-free Chewing Gum Market Continues to Grow

MORRIS PLAINS, N.J.—BENEO-Palatinit (www.BENEO-Palatinit.com), a manufacturer of natural sugar-derived ingredients, welcomed the results of European market research by AC Nielsen that reveal a worldwide increase in the consumption of sugar-free chewing gum.

Eighty-five per cent of the chewing gum bought in Germany is now sugar-free, an increase of 12 per cent since 2006, while sales of sugared gum have fallen by 5 per cent. Consumption in Italy has risen to 90 per cent, while in Turkey the sugar-free market has climbed 12 percent and sugared gum sales have declined by 10 per cent. Since 2006, all of the chewing gum sold in Spain and the CzechRepublic is sugar-free. Sabine Wetzel, Market Research Manager, BENEO-Palatinit, said: “We are not surprised by these results. The average consumer is becoming more health conscious, a worldwide trend that is reflected in the data. Moreover, sugar-free products have been significantly improved in recent years in terms of taste, color, texture, and the choice of products available. Rather than being seen as a lesser version of sugared equivalents, sugar-free gum is becoming a standalone market in its own right.”