London, Nov. 28 - Sugar consumption in the European Union is expected to drop significantly as a result of growing health concerns, a major E.U. sugar importer and distrubutor said Wednesday.
Speaking at the International Sugar Organization's annual conference in London, Tony Evans, head of commercial research at Napier Brown & Co, said sugar consumption in the E.U. and the developed world is forecast to be "flat at best."
Meanwhile, some industry observers are predicting a significant fall.
The U.K.'s sugar retail market declined by 19% between 2001 and 2006 and could drop another 12% by 2011, said Evans.
In 2006, the retail market consumed around 301,000 metric tons of sugar, according to Napier Brown & Co.
"It has long been said that the market is divided 70:30 between industrial consumption and direct consumer consumption, I believe that it is now closer to 80:20, particularly in the major Western European markets," said Evans.