Puratos UK launches reduced sugar Belcolade chocolate

Puratos UK is launching two new chocolate products containing 40% less sugar, while maintaining the qualities of delicious real Belgian chocolate. Belcolade Selection Noir and Belcolade Selection Lait Sugar-Reduced are being introduced this month as part of Puratos’ commitment to reducing sugar without sacrificing taste.

Belcolade Selection Noir is a balanced dark chocolate made from 55% cocoa, with fruity notes and a smooth roasted cacao flavour, while Belcolade Selection Lait contains 34% cocoa and is a milk chocolate with sweet caramel notes and cacao flavour.

As well as containing less sugar, these additions to the Belcolade range are 100% natural, using only clean label ingredients to create a perfectly balanced flavour that assures great taste quality and is in line with consumer trends.

The new products are part of Puratos’ Health & Wellbeing approach, which strives to re-invent indulgence by creating healthier solutions for consumers. Not only does the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend that a maximum of 10% of a person’s calorie intake comes from sugar, limiting daily sugar consumption is also at the top of the consumers’ minds. According to a recent survey, 50% of consumers worldwide are actively trying to reduce their sugar intake.

New generation sugar reduction technology and ingredient expertise allowed Puratos to reduce the sugar content of its new Belcolade products with absolutely no compromise on taste or texture and the products exceeded consumer expectations during their prelaunch Sensobus test. Belgian consumers, who participated in the test, confirmed the reduced sugar chocolate still provided a delicious, indulgent taste.

As well as being passionate about taste, Belcolade says it is committed to building a sustainable future for cocoa. The new products are made using cocoa beans sourced from Puratos’ unique Cacao-Trace sustainability programme. By focusing on continuous taste improvement, the new sugar reduced chocolate will also benefit cocoa farmers who receive an additional chocolate bonus for every kilo of chocolate sold. This means that the impact on living income for the company’s Cacoa-Trace farms is on average three times higher than through other sustainability programmes.

Philippa Knight, marketing director Puratos UK, comments: “We know that our customers demand the best tasting chocolate for their customers, while consumers are looking for ways to improve their health and wellbeing without sacrificing taste. Our new Belcolade products allow consumers to continue to enjoy the indulgent taste of chocolate while working towards their healthier eating goals, thereby achieving the best of both worlds.

“We kept our customers’ finished product in mind when we developed this new range so, when using the 40% sugar reduced chocolate and adding other sugary ingredients, it is still possible to make a claim for the finished product.”

Belcolade Selection Sugar Reduced Chocolate can be used in a wide array of applications, from truffles and bars to cakes and brownies.

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