Our society has been riding the wave of “healthy pleasure.” There has been growing awareness about health management, leading people to focus more on healthy foods and exercise in recent years. The trend of embracing a healthy lifestyle with pleasure has gained widespread popularity, reshaping the consumer market. As the dessert market reflects this trend, low-sugar, gluten-free, and dairy-free desserts have become the latest craze.
The first of these most recent objects of interest are low-sugar snacks that can easily be found in local convenience stores and grocery stores. With demand driven by the general public’s diet aspirations, the development of alternative sweeteners has accelerated, leading to rapid shifts in the dessert market. Various kinds of ice cream with one-tenth the sugar of traditional brands are the representative new products, heavily consumed not just by people losing weight but also by health-conscious consumers. Sugar-free chocolate and yogurt low in fat and sugar are also in high demand, as companies put increasing efforts into developing more and more kinds of healthy desserts.
Handmade desserts in bakeries are also changing. Many bakeries and cafes make sugar-free, gluten-free desserts by using alternative sweeteners and substituted vegetable ingredients. From cakes and cookies to scones, muffins, financiers, and madeleines, almost all types of desserts are produced in varieties made without flour, sugar and even dairy products. While not every bakery offers them, they are not difficult to find. The popularity growth of these products has been inspired by the rising trend, especially among youth, of composing meals mainly with protein and fewer carbohydrates. Improved attention to health and physical fitness has led to the trend of healthy pleasure in the dessert market.
Healthy desserts were not absent in the past. They were typically created for individuals who needed to regulate sugar intake due to specific conditions like diabetes, making a niche market not easily accessible to the general population. However, the healthy dessert market has expanded due to an increase in demand from changes in mainstream awareness, making these products more easily available than ever. This trend of consuming healthy desserts shows no signs of waning and is highly expected to continue steadily in the future.
By Song Su-min, Editor