Sensory and health implications of sugar intake reduction strategies
January 13, 2026 | 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Speaker: Gastón Ares, PhD (Universidad de la República, Uruguay)
Webinar description:
Although the need to reduce the sugar content of processed foods is widely recognized, progress has been limited. To date, most sugar reduction efforts have focused on minimizing sensory changes through the use of non-nutritive sweeteners. However, emerging evidence suggests that this approach may be misguided. This webinar aims to critically examine strategies to reduce sugar intake within the context of front-of-package nutrition labelling. It will discuss recent findings on consumers’ hedonic sensitivity to sugar reduction and the potential effects of decoupling sweet taste from energy content.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the webinar participants will be able to:
- Understand the limitations of current sugar reduction strategies that rely on maintaining sweetness through non-nutritive sweeteners.
- Examine recent evidence on consumers’ hedonic sensitivity to sugar reduction and the effects of decoupling sweetness from energy content.
Moderator: Bohdan Luhovyy, PhD (Mount Saint Vincent University)
About the Speaker:
Gastón Ares is Associate Professor at the Universidad de la República, Uruguay, where he leads an interdisciplinary research center specializing in food and nutrition from a food systems perspective. With extensive experience in research and teaching, his work focuses on eating behavior, food environments and policies aimed at fostering healthier and more sustainable eating patterns. Gastón has led numerous research projects and established collaborations with leading research groups worldwide. He has authored over 400 articles in international peer-reviewed journals, contributed to multiple book chapters, and delivered numerous presentations at scientific conferences. Gastón serves as Associate Editor of Appetite and Cleaner Food Systems and is a member of the Editorial Boards for Food Quality and Preference and the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. He has also provided expert consultancy for UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization and was a member of the Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) Subgroup on Policy Actions for the World Health Organization.
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