Food ingredients manufacturer Macphie has unveiled that it will cut out 30% of sugar in its latest range of cakes and frostings.

The decision for the sugar cut-back is to comply with the government’s target for food and drink manufacturers to reduce their sugar content in products by 20% by 2020.

The new range will include: Mississipi plain & chocolate cake mixes and Rainbow vanilla & chocolate frosting.

Category marketing executive Keri Cummings said, “The new Macphie reduced-sugar range offers a healthier alternative to traditional sweet treats, without compromising on quality. It contains no artificial sweeteners, but instead, uses a natural vegetable fibre replacement.

“As consumer interest in healthy living continues to grow and the government toughens up on the war against sugar, it’s vital that manufacturers offer a reduced-sugar alternative. Over three-quarters of adults in the UK (77%) (source: Mintel) are in favour of reducing sugar content and it’s the most important factor when consumers look for a healthy option.

“Due to the rise in media attention on sugar, 62% (source: Mintel) have increased their efforts to monitor and limit the amount in their diets and 54% (source: Mintel) are looking for low sugar content in food. These are the type of stats that food and drink producers cannot afford to ignore and this is just the beginning of our journey to reduce sugar content across our product categories.”

Earlier this month, staff from Macphie raised £450 for the charity Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland by taking part in The Beast, a 10km obstacle race.