KANSAS CITY — This year’s annual International Food Information Council (IFIC) Food & Health Survey shows how some consumers continue to define “healthy food,” notably that 40% of respondents identified “fresh” products as the No. 1 indicator of healthy while 37% chose “low in sugar” as the second most popular attribute. Rounding out the top four were “good source of protein” and “natural.”

Compared to IFIC’s 2022 Food & Health Survey, “fresh” remained the No. 1 characteristic of healthy food and rose from 37% to 40%. “Low in sugar” stayed in the No. 2 slot but rose from 32% to 37% — the largest gain of any feature on a list that also included “good source of nutrients,” “low sodium” and “contains fruits and vegetables,” among others.

The prominence of “low in sugar” as a prerequisite of healthy food together with tightening nutritional guidelines for school meal programs underscore the urgency behind many food and beverage companies’ efforts to cut sugar levels in products or, at least, offer reduced-sugar alternatives. That urgency has rippled through the supply chain with ingredient suppliers bringing a plethora of sugar reduction innovations to market.

Several ingredient introductions during the past few months from established companies like Beneo, Howtian, Icon Foods, Kerry and others specifically target sugar reduction. The new ingredients focus on reducing sugar or addressing such issues as flavor modulation or flavor masking.

Particularly exciting are entrepreneurs seeking to find game-changing solutions. For example, Ambrosia Bio, an Israeli startup, is working with Ginkgo Bioworks to streamline and scale the production of allulose, a rare sugar.

Mass production of allulose requires enzymatic conversion of carbohydrates, but many of the enzymes available lack stability and effectiveness. Over the past three years, Ambrosia Bio has developed a bioprocess using proprietary enzymes alongside a complementary production process to affordably convert lower-margin feedstocks into rare sugars. Ginkgo Bioworks offers a system that may accelerate production of Ambrosia Bio’s enzymes.

The Ambrosia Bio and Ginkgo Bioworks partnership comes on the heels of other entrepreneurs making inroads in novel sugar reduction technologies. Incredo, formerly DouxMatok, recently raised $30 million in Series C funding to accelerate commercialization of Incredo Sugar. Other startups striving for scale include The Supplant Co and Bonumose.

Each of these companies may provide a piece to the puzzle that has long vexed product developers — how to replace sugar’s calories without affecting taste, texture or raising the cost too much. They also, it should be noted, may fail like many other startups that have sought to disrupt the sweetener category.

Sugar — much like fat and salt — is a marvelous multi-functional, cost-effective ingredient. But its association with obesity and many of the chronic illnesses related to the condition is proving to be burdensome among some demographics and in some applications.

The advancements made in developing sugar alternatives and masking/modulating technologies will never fully replace the ingredient. What they will do is provide consumers with choice, particularly those consumers who view healthy foods as those that are low in sugar.