BevTech 2025 Attendees Master the Balancing Act in Las Vegas

This year’s International Society for Beverage Technologists (ISBT) Meeting highlighted two themes dominating the industry: sustainability and health.

How does the industry respond to the desire for healthy and delicious food (simultaneously) and stay on course with responsible business goals?

Sugaright made a notable impression at the event, providing an excellent opportunity to connect with leading beverage companies on sustainability while offering liquid sugar options that meet customer demand for less processed, natural cane liquid sugar.

Health Halo of Cane Sugar

At the trade booth, many beverage product managers sought options to enhance the perceived health profile of their products and asked questions about how cane sugar provides a solution. Some beverage brands are exploring ingredients that align with changing consumer health values, and not just from non-nutritive sweeteners. The health halo of cane sugar remains prominent as an alternative to High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), especially given concerns that HFCS is being spoken in the same negative light as seed oils by the US Department of Health. New product developers were also exploring organic and vegan certifications in cane sugar.

Sustainability at the Forefront

Diane Stevenson, representing Sugaright, was a featured speaker at the Sucrose Technical Committee. Her presentation focused on the cane sugar industry and how beverage technologists can mitigate supply chain risks from global warming or trade issues by adopting broader specifications for sugar color. Sustainability was a key theme across other talks and trade booths as well. Some notable technologies at the trade show included systems that convert liquid waste streams into beverage-grade CO2 using anaerobic digestion and AI-driven solutions that optimize clean-in-place processes, reducing water and chemical use.

Establishing a Naturally Colored Liquid Sucrose Guideline

The Sucrose Technical Committee meeting also introduced a pathway to adopt a new guideline for Naturally Colored Liquid Sucrose. This new guideline will provide essential context for beverage technologists seeking alternatives to traditional water-white refined sucrose. This additional guideline will offer technical support to those who have accepted or are considering using organic or naturally colored cane sugar in their products.

Sugaright’s Beverage Specialist, Mary Pellettieri, will lead a subcommittee to develop a new specification for naturally colored liquid sugar. The goal is to ensure all beverage professionals have the information they need to make informed ingredient choices.

The ISBT Meeting in Nevada demonstrated that the beverage industry is evolving, with health and sustainability becoming non-negotiable priorities for leading companies.

Sugaright is proud to be at the forefront of these conversations, offering solutions that align with these critical industry trends.