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BelVita is to get a 40% less sugar variant

Mondelez is planning a raft of healthier NPD for 2019, rolling out low and no-sugar variants for some of its most popular brands.

BelVita, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Trebor and Maynards Bassetts will all add health-focused variants or undergo reformulation, as part of the snacking giant’s commitment to offer more options focused on wellbeing.

Next year will begin with the launch of Cadbury Dairy Milk 30% Less Sugar – plans for which were revealed in July. Using proprietary technology to maintain sweetness, the chocolate bar was “a lower-calorie eat compared to some other initiatives in the market” said Mondelez president for Europe Hubert Weber.

It will be followed by a BelVita variant with 40% less sugar. Already available in France, the breakfast biscuit featured “a reduction of sugar and sweetness, which for that consumption moment is welcomed by consumers” Weber told The Grocer. Morning occasions were “a big opportunity” as more people skipped traditional breakfasts.

Mondelez also intends to take its entire Trebor portfolio sugar-free next year, while rolling out 30% lower-sugar versions of its Maynards Bassetts soft-chew confectionery.

In a move to encourage portion control and increase its range of 100kcal and 200kcal-portion snacks, the company will introduce Cadbury Dairy Milk Perfect Portions, a pack of individually wrapped milk chocolate segments.

“We want to explore more snacking moments, but also in the right way, with the right formulation and the right calorific profile,” said Weber. “Sugar is a perfectly good ingredient, but the question is how much to take in.”

Also next year, Mondelez will extend the presence of the Be Treatwise logo to all Cadbury chocolate and the entire Maynards Bassetts range. This March, Mondelez, Ferrero and Mars Wrigley Confectionery announced a plan to overhaul of their Be Treatwise initiative, seeking ideas from shoppers for the long-running portion control campaign.