Burton’s Biscuit Company is targeting consumers looking to cut down on sugar with its latest piece of NPD – Maryland Sugar Free Cookies.

The cookies are sweetened with maltitol – which Burton’s said has half the calories of sugar and does not promote tooth decay. As a result, a serving of two sugar-free cookies contains 7.2g less sugar than two original Maryland Choc Chip Cookies (see nutritional information below).

The new sugar-free offering has an rsp of £1.39 for a 230g pack and is marketed as a mid-morning or mid-afternoon treat.

“We’re looking to bring the warmth, fun and great taste traditionally associated with Maryland Cookies to what many consumers perceive to be an uninspiring sugar-free sector,” said Kate Needham, marketing & insight director at Burton’s Biscuit Company.

“With Maryland Sugar Free Cookies, we’re giving consumers the best of both worlds – a great-tasting biscuit from one of Britain’s best-loved biscuit brands, and a product that’s ideal for the growing number of shoppers looking for lower-/no-sugar alternatives.”

They will be promoted via a social media and PR campaign, which will reinforce Burton’s view that they are the “best tasting sugar-free cookies available”.

Needham added: “The highly targeted marketing campaign will communicate the message that the new Maryland Sugar Free alternative will allow biscuit lovers everywhere to enjoy a great-tasting, sugar-free cookie whilst having fun and not having to compromise on taste.”

The NPD forms part of Burton’s sugar and calorie reduction initiative, which aims to reduce both by 20% across its portfolio. As part of this, Burton’s has reformatted its core Minis product lines to support Public Health England’s 100-calorie snack initiative.

“Since 2016, through recipe optimisation, we’ve achieved a 20%+ sugar reduction on Jammie Dodgers and, in 2018, delivered a 5%+ reduction on core Maryland and 10%+ on Maryland Minis as part of a wide-ranging portion control initiative,” said Needham.