Reduction of Sugars Intake

Management information

Relevance to our business

Efforts to prevent obesity and lifestyle diseases by eliminating the excessive intake of sugars are gaining interest worldwide. For instance, in 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a guideline that recommends adults and children to reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of the total energy intake.
As a B-to-B food ingredient manufacturer, the Fuji Oil Group has carried out extensive research into plant-based protein ingredients that can be used to replace certain sugars in food.* This expertise enables us to contribute to the prevention of excessive sugars intake. We are also working on developing and growing sales of sugar-free chocolate.

  • * Some of the available carbohydrates contained in staple foods (bread, cereals, etc.) and confectioneries can be replaced with our plant-based protein ingredients. We suggest that customers use our plant-based protein ingredients as a portion of their recipe for making bread and cereals to reduce the carbohydrate content of their products.

Basic approach

The Fuji Oil Group aims to improve global health by providing solutions for reducing sugars intake without sacrificing taste. We can provide customers and consumers with food ingredients that, by replacing some of the sugars with protein, have excellent nutritional balance and are still delicious. By proposing and providing high-protein foods that are low in sugars, we will help solve consumers’ excessive intake of sugars.

Management system

In FY2021, we changed the name of this material ESG issue*1 from “response to excessive sugar intake concerns” to “reduction of sugars intake,” which aligns with our initiatives with set targets for FY2021 onward. The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) oversees initiatives in this area. Since FY2020, the ESG Committee,*2 an advisory body to the board of directors, has been monitoring the progress and results of initiatives as a material ESG issue. The ESG Committee reports insights to the board of directors for review.

Goals / Results

At least 90% complete At least 60% complete Less than 60% complete

FY2020 Goals FY2020 Results Self-assessment
Develop plant-based food ingredients that boost the protein content of staple foods (bread, cereal, etc.) Developed and proposed to customers delicious plant-based protein ingredients that can replace some of the available carbohydrates in staple foods such as bread and cereal

Analysis

Low-carb diets are starting to gain traction in Japan, increasing demand for protein-fortified staple foods that are typically high-carb. We think our proposing and offering of flavorful plant-based foods fits this trend.

Next step

An important part of reducing sugars intake, which is a risk factor in the development of lifestyle diseases and obesity, is to offer food ingredients that are low in sugars. To address this issue, we set the following goals for FY2021.

  • Develop food ingredients to increase the percentage of protein in staple foods (to help customers reduce their products’ sugar content)
  • Provide protein-fortified staple food ingredients

Specific initiatives

Expanding our lineup of low-sugar foods

The Fuji Oil Group is working to propose and provide nutritionally balanced food products that replace some of the sugars in high-carb foods (e.g., staples, sweets) with protein. For instance, by partially replacing the sugars in staple foods, such as bread and cereals, with proteins, it is possible to easily reduce the amount of sugars without sacrificing taste.

Low-sugar cookie bars

Low-sugar cereals

  • * The photos are for illustration purposes only.

Expanding the sales of sugar-free chocolate

Demand for chocolate with reduced sugar content and sugarless or sugar-free chocolate is rising in the U.S. The market for sugarless or sugar-free chocolate showed more than 20% growth in 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. We think it is important to meet customers’ and consumers’ needs for such chocolate.
In a consumer survey conducted by Blommer Chocolate Company in the U.S., 50% of respondents answered that they eat chocolate with reduced sugar content. Meanwhile, 73% of consumers answered that taste is the most important characteristic of chocolate. Of consumers who rarely eat chocolate, 45% stated excessive sugar content as a reason. The Fuji Oil Group values both the enjoyment of food and health. Our delicious chocolate with reduced sugar content is popular among our customers, who appreciate that it satisfies the consumer needs highlighted by this survey.
We expect the need to reduce sugars intake will grow in other parts of the world as well. By applying insights gained at Blommer — a pioneer of sugar-free chocolate in the U.S. — to the entire Fuji Oil Group, we will contribute to delicious food and health for consumers all around the world.