Cargill invests in sugar reduced chocolate

Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate has invested $5m in its site in Mouscron, Belgium to develop its production of sugar reduced chocolate and meet the increased consumer demand.

The $5m investment will help develop an extensive range of sugar reduced chocolate recipes, as well as contributing towards new technologies. These include a wide range of sugar replacers and the necessary dosing systems that will allow Cargill to reduce sugar levels gradually or up to 30% or higher.

This result offers flexible solutions for its customers, providing chocolate confectionery, bakery, cereal and ice cream producers with the ability to claim sugar reduction on the packaging of consumer products.

Inge Demeyere, managing director of Cargill’s chocolate activities in Europe said: “As more consumers look for reduced sugar chocolate products, our customers are looking for new chocolate recipes that combine an indulgent sensory experience with lower sugar levels.

“Cargill is able to deliver on that ask thanks to our unique R&D approach. Leveraging a deep chocolate and broad food ingredients expertise, Cargill created a unique sugar reduced chocolate recipe capability using an optimized blend of sugar replacers, while still managing to get all the other elements like taste and texture right.

“Our new, bespoke sugar reduced chocolate capabilities can produce a creamy, rich, indulgent chocolate taste with just the right level of sweetness.”

Cargill’s $5m investment is the latest movement in its expansion within the Belgian chocolate market. It follows its acquisition of Smet, a Belgium-based gourmet chocolate producer previously this year. Cargill claimed that the acquisition would significantly enhance its gourmet chocolate offering, as it would gain access to new decoration technology, enhanced production capabilities and a wide-ranging product portfolio.