Between pleasure and health

Why Rauch is a pioneer in the sensible use of sugar.

Sugar has two faces. "It's not just the sweetness that people love so much. It takes sugar to really bring out the flavour," explains Linda Toccafondi, head of product development, "And without sugar it just doesn't taste as good. But one thing is clear: too much is not good for you.

Dual sugar brake

For many years, Rauch has had its foot on the sugar brake and is pursuing a dual strategy: new products are designed to have as low a sugar content as possible, and with existing products Rauch is reducing the sugar content step by step by means of improved recipes. In iced tea alone, Rauch has saved consumers 11,000 tonnes of sugar since 2000, or almost 3 billion sugar cubes.

Since 2009, Rauch has been cooperating very closely with Sipcan, an institute for preventive medicine. Prof. Dr. Friedrich Hoppichler founded this Austrian non-profit organisation in 2005. Nutritionist Dr. Manuel Schätzer is the project manager here: "Our sense of taste is simply set too sweet. Artificial sweeteners are no solution. We are therefore trying to continuously reduce the sugar content in the broad mass of food in small steps - unnoticed by consumers. Rauch is a real pioneer here."

Drinking clever at school

Rauch supports the "Schlau trinken" (drink clever) schools initiative developed by Sipcan, which aims to achieve healthy drinking behaviour and a healthy range of drinks in schools. In addition to scientifically sound information, such as the drinking triangle, the Sipcan scientists also set clear limits for the sugar content of beverages sold in schools. And almost all schools adhere to these limits.

It is particularly gratifying that, thanks not least to this initiative, the average sugar content of beverages in Austria has fallen noticeably.