Nestlé UK and Ireland has unveiled Milkybar Wowsomes, the first chocolate bar in the world to use Nestlé’s innovative sugar reduction technique.
Nestlé researchers made a scientific breakthrough when they transformed the structure of sugar through a newly developed process using only natural ingredients. Inspired by candy floss, experts created aerated, porous particles of sugar that dissolve more quickly in the mouth. This allows someone to perceive the same level of sweetness as before while consuming less sugar.
With the help of this new technology, Milkybar Wowsomes has 30% less sugar than similar chocolate products and contains no artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colours or flavourings. Milkybar Wowsomes has milk as its number one ingredient, contains crispy oat cereal pieces, is a source of fibre and is gluten free. The range has products in a number of different sizes for different occasions and the largest sized bars are 18g and have 95 calories each.
The achievement is all the more impressive as it has taken little over a year for Nestlé teams in Switzerland, the UK and the Czech Republic to take the scientific and technological breakthrough and turn it into a new confectionery product. Milkybar Wowsomes will appear in stores across the UK and Ireland in the coming weeks.
Stefano Agostini, CEO of Nestlé UK & Ireland said:
“It is with great pride that the UK and Ireland becomes the first market in the world to use this exciting technology to create such a great tasting confectionery product. We have an unrivalled research and development network and the experts at our Product Technology Centre in York have been instrumental in this breakthrough. Teams across our UK business and around the world have been working incredibly hard to make this launch a reality.
“We announced earlier this month that we have taken out more than 60 billion calories and 2.6 billion teaspoons of sugar from across our food and drink portfolio in the last three years. A new product like Milkybar Wowsomes introduces greater choice and allows parents to treat their children with chocolate that tastes great but has less sugar. We are demonstrating how we can, and will, contribute to a healthier future and that we take our public health responsibilities very seriously.”
Jas Scott de Martinville, Global Lead for Nestlé Confectionery Research & Development (and Head of Nestlé’s Confectionery Product Technology Centre in York, UK) said:
“The ambition behind Milkybar Wowsomes was enormous and it has been a real challenge for us to get to this stage. To create a confectionery product in just 12 months which has 30% less sugar than similar chocolate products and contains no artificial sweeteners is extraordinary. We have also made sure that our largest individually wrapped product contains 95 calories per bar.
“It is very rewarding to launch a great tasting product knowing all of the hard work that went into this development. We will continue our work and take this technology further so that we can deliver more confectionery products that taste great and are better for our consumers.”
Milkybar Wowsomes is an entirely new product under the Milkybar brand and will be available in single bars, multipacks and a stock-up bag with individually wrapped single pieces. It comes in two variants, white chocolate and a combined milk and white chocolate. Each piece is made of smooth white or white and milk chocolate and has a creamy-tasting centre containing crispy oat cereal pieces.
While the new technology is the most obvious new development for the brand, this is also the first time in Milkybar’s 81-year history that it has contained both milk and white chocolate in the same bar.
Milkybar Wowsomes will begin to appear for sale in all major retailers across the UK and Ireland from next week.
ENDS
For more information, please contact the Nestlé UK press office at [email protected] or call us on 020 8667 6005
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Notes to Editors
- Nestlé has the world's largest food and nutrition research organisation, with around 5000 people involved in research and development, as well as corporate venture funds and research partnerships with business partners and universities.
- In 2016, Nestlé announced that its scientists had discovered a way to change the structure of sugar so that it dissolves more quickly on the tongue. This allows you to perceive an almost identical sweetness but with much less of the ingredient.
- Earlier this month, Nestlé UK and Ireland issued its Contributing to a Healthier Future report and revealed more than 60bn calories and 2.6bn teaspoons of sugar has been removed from across its portfolio in just three years. The report shows how recipe changes in confectionery including those for Milkybar (making milk its number one ingredient) and KitKat (adding extra milk and cocoa) have helped to achieve these reductions.
- Last year, Nestlé UK & Ireland pledged to reduce sugar across its confectionery portfolio by 10%. A reduction of 7.4% has already been achieved.
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Milkybar was launched in the UK in 1936 and is one of Nestlé’s most iconic chocolate brands. In 2007, the brand moved to no artificial ingredients. In 2017, milk became the No.1 ingredient in the recipe. Now, in 2018, with the launch of Milkybar Wowsomes, the brand is offering a new alternative with 30% less sugar.
- Milkybar Wowsomes is available in two variants
- White chocolate
- Milk and white chocolate
- Single bar – 3 piece 1 x 18g
- Multipack – 2 piece 8 x 10g
- Stock up bag – single pieces individually wrapped (mixed white chocolate and white & milk) 105g