Cadbury launching a Dairy Milk bar with 30% less sugar

A new ‘healthier’ version of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate bar containing 30 per cent less sugar will go on sale next year as part of an effort to respond to the obesity crisis.

In the “most significant innovation in the brand’s history,” Cadbury’a owner Mondelēz International revealed in a press release that a team of 20 scientists, nutritionists and chocolatiers had been working on the new bar for almost two years.

Though the all new Dairy Milk will contain less sugar with no artificial sweeteners, colours or preservatives and no increase in calories, the makers have assured that it will still have the bar’s “much-loved taste.”

The new bar will be sold alongside the standard Dairy Milk – it will not replace the existing version.

If it proves successful Mondelēz International will also look to introduce sugar-less versions of other popular products such as Cadbury Boost+ Protein, which will contain 32% less sugar than the standard Boost bar, 30% less sugar variants of Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums and Jelly Babies, and a 40% less sugar line extension on BelVita.

The brand hopes to prove that it is playing its role in tackling obesity in the UK.

Speaking about the lower sugar plans, Glenn Caton from Mondelēz International said: “Our brands have been around for hundreds of years. They are a part of British culture and heritage and play a special role in people’s lives as treats to be enjoyed during a moment of indulgence.

“We recognise that people want to manage their sugar intake and that’s why we have worked tirelessly to create a Cadbury Dairy Milk bar with 30 per cent less sugar as part of our commitment to a wider sugar reduction programme.

“Taking sugar out of our products isn’t easy and will take time,” he added. “Ultimately they are treats and people expect them to taste great, but we’re working hard to find innovative solutions that provide more choice without compromising on their world-renowned taste and quality.”

Sugar has been courting all the headlines of late.

Last month the government revealed a series of new measures designed to help tackle childhood obesity including tougher restrictions on supermarkets displaying unhealthy foods at checkouts, banning sales of energy drinks to children (thanks Jamie Oliver), and a 9pm watershed for advertising unhealthy food on TV

And back in April the government introduced the Sugar Tax.

Announced by Chancellor Philip Hammond in his budget statement in 2017, the idea is to tax drinks companies according to how much sugar is in their products.

The hope is that paying more for drinks will act as a deterrent for the sugar-laden drinks and ultimately balance out the impact of obesity on the NHS.

Meanwhile back in January parents were warned to limit children to two snacks of no more than 100 calories per day.

Public Health England (PHE) has revealed that on average children are consuming at least three unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks a day, with around a third consuming four or more.

That means the average child can easily consume three times more sugar than recommended with the PHE warning that half of children’s sugar intake – around seven sugar cubes a day – comes from unhealthy snacks and drinks.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

Read more from Yahoo Style UK:

British parents are giving their children alcohol too young, study warns

Parents are being urged to count the calories in their children’s snacks

Brits officially eat more chocolate than anyone else in Europe