Spar and Vindija Join Forces in the Fight to Reduce Sugar

In order to reduce the negative impact of excessive sugar intake in the diet Spar Croatia has launched an important socially responsible activity aimed at reducing the sugar content in its private label products, guided by the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

This Spar initiative received a strong boost with the joining of Vindija, one of the most significant domestic producers, which should serve as a call to other prominent producers in the Croatian market to join this initiative and engage in work for the common good.

As the initiative originated from the Austrian market, the scientific foundation for SPAR’s initiative there was provided by eminent medical professors, and Austrian producers of well-known brands such as Rauch, Manner, and Berglandmilch also joined in reducing the sugar content in their products.

In this way, Croatian consumers could also benefit from this initiative, as these products have long been available on Croatian shelves.

SPAR’s contribution is evident in the reduction of sugar in private label products such as Spar, S-Budget, Spar Natur*pur, and Spar Vital. In as many as 160 of these products, the recipe has been successfully changed and the sugar content reduced, without the use of artificial sweeteners, with the sugar content in some products reduced by up to 80%, while maintaining the original taste.

– At Spar Croatia, we continuously adapt the recipes for our private label products, and we have managed to significantly reduce the sugar content in 36 products made for us by Croatian producers. We are pleased that Vindija has joined this initiative, which gives additional momentum to this project for the benefit of our consumers – emphasized Helmut Fenzl, CEO of Spar Croatia Helmut Fenzl.

– Improving the quality of life and creating healthier eating habits for our customers is one of the key business and social priorities of the Vindija Group, as the largest domestic food industry. An important step in this direction has been achieved through the rebranding of the entire ‘z bregov fruit yogurt group, in which the sugar content has been reduced by 15%, which will result in a reduction of 26,000 kilograms of sugar annually for this product group. We have also made similar progress in the juice assortment, where the production will use 231,700 kilograms less sugar annually, providing a significant benefit in reducing the caloric value in both assortments while maintaining recognizable flavors – said Nenad Klepač, CEO of the Vindija Group.

Spar and Vindija want to be promoters of this project and invite and encourage other Croatian producers to join the initiative to collectively influence the reduction of excessive sugar consumption and participate in promoting healthier habits among consumers.

Continuous and dedicated work on changing recipes and reducing sugar content in various product categories such as cakes, soft drinks, syrups, puddings, muesli, cookies, and cappuccinos has resulted in a reduction of sugar in private label products by more than 300 tons!