The Huge Change Capri Sun Just Made To Its Drink Formula
There are a number of reasons why you'd want to keep your daily sugar intake down. Per Medical News Today, sugar simply doesn't give our bodies any added benefits even as it adds to our daily caloric load. This makes sugar in all its forms an ingredient that might lead to different problems from weight gain to tooth cavities and heart disease, especially when we take too much of it. Given that, it isn't surprising that Kraft Heinz made the commitment to cut the amount of sugar across its different product ranges "by more than 60 million pounds across [its] global portfolio by 2025," and one of those products is its Capri Sun line of juice pouches.
Capri Sun could well be one of Kraft Heinz's more sugary products. Per Food Dive, if a pouch isn't made with pure fruit juice, a pouch can contain as much as 13 grams of sugar. Given this, cutting the amount of sugar would be, per Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patrico, a way for the company to "optimize its offerings ... [by] removing elements that consumers don't want, or don't really care about, while at the same time reducing costs where possible to mitigate passing on inflation through price."
Capri Sun packs will now be sweetened with monk fruit extract
The new reduced Capri Sun line was revealed as Kraft Heinz announced its earnings results. According to the company's CEO, with the new Capri Sun formulation the company was able cut sugar by 40%, a move which he said was "great for consumers, especially parents who are looking to reduce sugar intake for their kids while maintaining the great taste that their kids love. And it also reduces our exposure to volatile commodity markets" (via Kraft Heinz).
In place of sugar, Kraft Heinz has begun using monk fruit concentrate to make its Capri Sun drinks, which Food Dive takes its sugar content down to 8 grams of sugars in the beverage. Monk fruit, which is grown and found in China, is extremely sweet and can be as much sweeter than sugar without its downsides (per Healthline). It doesn't have any calories or carbs, and it does not affect blood glucose levels. The sugar substitute is considered safe for pregnant women and children.
Food Dive says the new juices are meant to go on the market in August. Kraft Heinz hopes it will be viewed as a low-sugar alternative to other drinks for children on the market.