Posted by Nick Roster on 7/15/2013 to
Production Notes
Deep in product thought.... What else can we make? Plenty! This month we introduce and old favorite, and keep you in suspense for the next product.
Strawberries are the quintessential summertime fruit (after cherries). So it seemed pretty natural to start production of a strawberry jam. We did. We left out a lot of the sugar and made our very own Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam under our Old Mission Traders (OMT) label. And it is incredibly yummy. What makes it so yummy? Leaving out the sugar so you can tasted the freshness of the fruit.
What does it mean to have a product with "Reduced Sugar?" Or, why not just say "Low Sugar?" Well, the FDA is the agency that regulates terminology on food labels and packaging. When we talk about sugar, "Low" is not a regulated term, so actually has no meaning on food packaging. Believe it or not, "Natural" is also a term that is not regulated by the FDA, so technically it means nothing in the food industry. Why do companies use it then? Good Question.
To use the term "Reduced Sugar" a producer must demonstrate that the sugar content is 33% lower than a comparable product. To show that you have met this standard, a Nutrition Facts Panel must be on the label. That is one great reason we have been including a Nutrition Facts Panel on our products, even though we are under no legal obligation to do so. That is a whole other story. We typically have about 50% less sugar than comparable jams, sometimes a bit more, but we are WAY under the 33% limit.
Why do we do this? Taste is the main reason, but we like the fact that it is healthier too. Let us know what you think about our jams when you try them. We think they taste fresh and clean and full of fruit flavor.