According to a new survey conducted by The NPD Group, the growing concerns about obesity and type-2 diabetes is driving low-sugar, sugar-free or sugar substituted products forward.

• about 70 percent of adult Americans want to cut down or avoid sugar completely, with 40 percent admitting they check food labels regularly for sugar content.
• 44 percent of American homemakers are extremely or very concerned about serving foods with sugar, with over 50 percent of consumers noting they are aware of and concerned about high fructose corn syrup (one of the most commonly-used sweeteners today).

All of these concerns are giving rise to more consumption of foods and beverages that are low-sugar, sugar-free, or contain sugar substitutes.

Although according to Harry Balzer, vice president of The NPD Group:

"There's little doubt that Americans right now are increasingly concerned about sugar consumption. But we've been here before; back in the 1980s, nearly 60 percent of Americans expressed concern about the sugar they were consuming, before declining during the early 1990s. I suspect we'll see the same trend during the next 10 years."

Read the full report on the said survey at NutraIngredients.

Honestly, I've always been apprehensive on sugar substitutes - I've always felt that they are chemically wrong and will do more harm than good. If I would watch out for my sugar consumption, I'd go for low-sugar or go totally for sugar-free products.

What about you, how do you feel about sugar substitute? And do you think the current American trend on watching their sugar consumption will hold up for a long time?