DECATUR, ILL. — Tate & Lyle P.L.C. will partner with registered dietitians this summer for a consumer education program focusing on sweeteners. It will involve a print media outreach campaign as well as blogs and web sites. The program will stress that sweeteners, when used in moderation, may be part of a balanced diet.

The program will highlight advantages of fructose and sucralose. Tate & Lyle research has shown 90% of consumers are interested in learning more about fructose and products that may lead to calorie reduction. Since fructose is sweeter than sucrose, manufacturers actually may use less of it than sucrose to obtain the same sweetness level in a product, said Stacey Walton, senior food scientist for Tate & Lyle.

She added manufacturers may use sucralose, a high-intensity sweetener, to reduce calories and costs in products. For example, Tate & Lyle worked with one customer to replace 15% of the high-fructose corn syrup with sucralose in a frozen pie formula. Along with calorie reduction, the switch achieved an 18% cost savings.