Capri Sun cuts sugar amounts by 40%

Recently, food and beverage company Kraft Heinz decided to cut sugar from its well-loved beverage Capri Sun by 40%. It has now been reformulated using monk fruit sweetener. Capri Sun is an iconic juice drink in the U.S, European and a few Asian countries. It is recognizable for its iconic pouch packaging. The sugar cut is a major reformation since its launch in 1986.

The change was brought about by the constant demand from parents to reduce their children’s daily sugar intake.

The Associate Brand Director for Capri Sun, Erica Watkins stated, “Sugar, especially in the beverage category, is a major pain point for parents.”

Capri-Sun was formed in 1969 and sold in Germany. Kraft Foods acquired Capri-Sun Inc. and became a licensed partner for Capri-Sun® production.

What is monk fruit sweetener?

Monk fruit is a fruit grown in Southeast Asia. It is also called “Luo Guo” or “Buddha fruit.” It is mainly composed of fructose and sucrose. It gets its sweetness from antioxidants called mongrosides.

It contains zero calories and is about 100-250 times sweeter than regular sugar.

The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved monk fruit as a sweetener in 2010.

About the new Capri Sun products:

The new Capri Sun beverages will have 8g of total sugar, and 5g of added sugar in each serving. The reformulated drinks are said to hit the shelves around August.

Company’s comments:

The Associate Brand Director for Capri Sun, Erica Watkins said, “As a category leader and kids #1 favorite juice drink, it was critical that the renovation meet our brand’s size and scale without compromising either our iconic taste or our commitment to using all natural ingredients.”

Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio stated, “The shift to monk fruit also makes Kraft Heinz less subject to volatile sugar markets, which is important as inflation and supply chain issues drive prices up”.

Concluding thoughts:

The majority of the drinks consumed by kids are loaded with sugar, making them an unhealthy choice. This reduction of sugar by Capri Sun is a blessing for many parents who want to serve their kids a delicious beverage, but not worry about sugar overload.

Other beverage companies can adopt similar ways to reduce or replace sugar with better alternatives such as monk fruit extract, stevia, mannitol, FOS, etc.

References:

https://www.wildflavors.com/EMEA-EN/company/history/history-1990-1994/