Truvia^® natural sweetener passes the “mom test” 

Research with grocery shoppers answers the question “Will mom give Truvia^® sweetened products to the kids?”

The Question

Truvia^® rebiana is currently used as an ingredient in a variety of packaged foods and beverages delivering natural sweetness while reducing calories and / or sugar.  Food and beverage companies have asked if Truvia^® natural sweetener is passing the “mom test.”  The Truvia^® team set out to gather statistical evidence that would answer the following question: “Is mom willing to give products made with Truvia^® natural sweetener to her children?”

The Discovery 

The Truvia^® team commissioned an independent study of over 2,400 moms who are the primary grocery shopper for their family.  Moms age 18-54 with kids age 1-18 in the household were surveyed.  The research found that 54% of the moms in the sample were already aware of the Truvia^® brand before participating in the study.

To answer the question “is mom willing to give products made with Truvia^® natural sweetener to her kids?” it is important to recognize that the real answer is that it depends on the mom.  To address this, a proprietary sweetness segmentation developed by Cargill was used to frame the findings.  There are four distinct consumer sweetness segments:

• Naturally Splendids: consumers who are willing to use artificial sweeteners but prefer natural products; they are most flexible in their approach to sweetness. This segment is the largest representing 39% of total U.S. shoppers.
• Artifoes: very low use of  artificial sweeteners and regard them as unhealthy.
• Artifans: use artificial sweeteners heavily and are focused on reducing calories and/or sugar.
• Simply Sugars: driven by taste and prefer the taste of sugar; they don’t necessarily view other sweeteners as “bad," they just don’t like the taste.

The Research Approach  

The survey began with questions on willingness to purchase existing products. Products on the market containing Truvia^® rebiana were shown by brand along with an image of current product packaging (e.g. Glaceau VitaminWater Zero^® and YoCrunch 100).  

In the case of VitaminWater Zero^®, 42% of the moms told us they have already purchased this product and an additional 18% said they have not yet purchased, but plan to.

Additional questions about willingness to purchase products that could be made with Truvia^® natural sweetener at the category level followed.  And finally, moms were asked about representative product brands and their willingness to consider purchasing these brands if made with Truvia^® natural sweetener.

Consumer Insights

The objective was to see who in the household mom was buying (or was willing to buy) Truvia^® sweetened products for:

• Adults only
• Both Adults and Kids
• Kids only

The research confirmed, overwhelmingly, moms are buying current products made with the Truvia^® brand for the whole family, including the kids.

Findings were similar and consistent across categories.  Will Moms buy products made with Truvia^® rebiana? Yes!  …and will they give them to their kids?  Yes!  Some examples:

• Yogurt is widely consumed and currently purchased by 81% of the moms in our study.  Of the moms who currently purchase yogurt, 57% said they would be likely to purchase yogurt made with Truvia^® natural sweetener.  Of these, 84% said it would be purchased for either the kids (4%) or the whole family (80%).
• Juice drinks are currently purchased by 66% of the moms in our study.  58% of moms who buy juice drinks are interested in purchasing juice drinks made with the Truvia^® brand.  Of these 90% said it would be purchased for either just the kids (26%) or for the whole family (64%).

Contact Us To find out more about Truvia® natural sweetener, contact Breah Ostendorf: Breah_Ostendorf@cargill.com