Per capita sugar and sweetener consumption

Per capita sugar and sweetener consumption in the United States is projected to reach 121.4 pounds in 2025, continuing a pattern of slow declines from previous years. In the current year, rising health awareness and dietary trends are the most significant factors driving the reduction in sweetener consumption. Following modest rebounds in snack and sweet intake during the COVID-19 pandemic, consumption has resumed its downward trajectory as consumers return to pre-pandemic behaviors and remain focused on reducing sugar intake for health reasons. Food manufacturers have further responded to consumer preferences by curbing or eliminating certain types of sugars, especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), from their products in efforts to appeal to health-conscious markets.

Over the five years to 2025, per capita sugar and sweetener consumption has consistently declined, falling at an annualized rate of 0.9%. Despite stable demand for sweeteners as dietary staples, heightened consumer awareness of the health impacts of sugar is putting persistent downward pressure on the category. Annual per capita consumption rose slightly in 2020 and 2021, increasing 0.2% and 0.4% respectively, as pandemic-era lockdowns led to increases in snack and sweetened product consumption. However, as pandemic effects faded and routines normalized, downward momentum resumed, with notable declines recorded for 2022 through 2025. Shifting preferences have also contributed to declining HFCS consumption every year since 2003, replaced largely by cane and beet sugars in product formulations. Macro trends such as fluctuating oil prices and ethanol demand have influenced corn prices and, by extension, the relative price and consumption of corn-derived sweeteners like HFCS. However, these price-driven effects have not fully offset the strong health-driven shift away from sweeteners. The gradual return of economic growth in recent years did little to reverse the overall downward trajectory amid mounting public health initiatives targeting sugar reduction.

Across the five-year period ending in 2025, public health concerns remain the dominant force limiting growth in per capita sugar and sweetener consumption. While short-term events such as the COVID-19 pandemic produced temporary upswings, long-term declines have persisted due to changing consumer attitudes and regulatory or market-driven reductions in sugar usage by manufacturers. As of 2025, the secular trend toward lower sweetener intake is expected to continue.