Chances are good that your business sees high sales of foods with sweeteners and drinks with sweeteners. Despite health concerns, including obesity and rising rates of diabetes, consumer preferences still lean toward sweet products.

In response to consumer demands, manufacturers are using more low calorie sweeteners in food and beverages, also known as non-nutritive sweeteners, artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes. The most popular low calorie sweeteners are aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose; although others do exist. When used as a food and beverage sweetener, these products provide a taste that is similar to sugar, also known as sucrose.

To maximize sales, stock your shelves with a variety of drinks with sweeteners, foods with sweeteners, food sweeteners and beverage sweeteners. When choosing products to offer to your customers, keep in mind the following:

1. Remember that many consumers prefer natural sweeteners over artificial.

2. Cater to customer preferences by offering sweetener variety.

3. Using low-calorie sweeteners in beverages shortens the shelf life.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate sweetener distributors

If you prepare foods and beverages to sell to your customers, or if you want to stock food and beverage sweeteners on your shelves, you may need to use more than one distributor to get the variety that your customers demand. Offer several different sweeteners to increase sales.

I recommend: McNeil Nutritionals markets sucralose under the name of Splenda. Their product has an insignificant calorie value that meets FDA standards for low calorie sweeteners. Wholesome Sweeteners offers a line of all natural and organic sweeteners. They have distributors throughout the United States.

Stock drinks with sweeteners

To meet the needs of all customers it is a good idea to stock drinks that are sweetened with sugar, as well as offering low calorie sweetener choices. Beverages without any sweeteners, such as water and seltzer water, should also be offered for those times when the customer does not want a sweet drink.

I recommend: Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo offer soda sweetened with aspartame. Coca-Cola also has a line of juices with various sweeteners used.

Offer a variety of foods with sweeteners

There are more beverages sweetened with low calorie sweeteners available on the market than there are foods. When stocking your shelves with sweet foods, you may want the majority of the food offered to be sugar sweetened. However, it is also a good idea to offer a limited amount of foods sweetened with low calorie sweeteners.

I recommend: The Hain Celestial Group offers a large line of candy, cookies and other food products sweetened with fructose, marketed under the Estee name. Diabetic Direct offers a large variety of sugar free and low calorie sweetened foods. They have everything from baking mixes to cereals and soups.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When trying a new product with your customers, giving out free taste samples can be your best marketing method. A small paper cup filled with a new drink or a piece of low calorie sweetened candy may be all it takes to turn a new product into a best seller.