Sweetener Breakups Are Hard: Why the Industry Is Quietly Moving on from Erythritol (and What to Do Instead) Summary Erythritol hasn’t been banned, and it hasn’t stopped functioning. What’s changed is risk. Once a quiet, reliable workhorse in sugar reduction, erythritol now carries perception volatility and trade exposure that smart Read more…
How Icon Foods Steers Brands Through the New Nutrition Frontier At SCIFTS and again at EXPOWest, the food and beverage industry won’t just be trading samples and business cards—they’ll be navigating the tectonic shift that’s reshaping how products get made, labeled, and loved. With the launch of the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Read more…
Trade Policy Just Changed the Formulation Playbook (Again) Summary In The Erythritol Reckoning, Part II, Thom King moves beyond last week’s science debate and into the economic earthquake now reshaping formulation strategy. With final antidumping and countervailing duties of up to nearly 200% on Chinese erythritol, what was once a dependable, Read more…
Why the New U.S. Dietary Guidelines Will Reshape Better-For-You Food Innovation, and How You Can Lead the Charge Summary The upcoming 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans signal a decisive shift in federal nutrition policy, placing added sugar and highly processed foods squarely in the spotlight. Rather than focusing narrowly on Read more…
Summary RTD coffee has moved beyond convenience and into its second act: function-first formulation. Today’s bottled brews are expected to deliver protein for satiety, fiber for balance, adaptogens for focus, and low sugar without sacrificing drinkability. But coffee is a demanding matrix, acidic, polyphenol-rich, and unforgiving when sweetness or mouthfeel Read more…
Summary Erythritol was once the gold standard for sugar reduction—clean taste, low glycemic impact, functional bulk, and formulation flexibility. But tariffs, anti-dumping rulings, and mounting scientific scrutiny have dramatically altered its risk profile. With prices volatile and new research raising concerns about cardiovascular and metabolic implications The Erythritol Reckoning, better-for-you Read more…
Aspartame, Sucralose, Ace-K v. MonkSweet™ MV50, SteviaSweet™ RebM, and SteviaSweet™ RM95D A formulator-to-formulator field guide, sensory, stability, synergy, and the real-world gotchas that show up at scale. Summary In a market where sweetness is easy but a true sugar-like experience is increasingly hard to deliver, The Sweetener Cage Match steps beyond ingredient Read more…
Riding the Wave of GLP-1, MAHA, and Consumer Demand Summary Clean label sugar reduction has moved from trend to expectation, driven by the cultural impact of GLP-1 therapies and the growing “Make America Healthy Again” movement. Today’s consumers still want indulgence, but with fewer calories, smarter metabolic positioning, and transparent Read more…
How to Navigate the Duty-Free Window and Capture the Lowest Costs in Years The U.S. Department of Commerce has extended the temporary anti-dumping duties on erythritol through January 12, 2026 — the maximum 180-day period allowed. After that, the market enters a short but extraordinary phase: a fully duty-free corridor lasting until March Read more…
The Pros, Cons & Best Uses of Allulose, Xylitol, Stevia, Monk Fruit & Erythritol in Dietary Supplements Summary Formulating dietary supplements is as much science as strategy, especially when it comes to sweeteners. In Sweet Science: The Pros, Cons & Best Uses of Allulose, Xylitol, Stevia, Monk Fruit & Erythritol in Read more…