In a bid to contribute towards Hawaii's goal of preventing obesity and diabetes from spreading further, Foods 2.0 is starting sales of their product, Sugar 2.0 across the Aloha State via the Times Supermarkets and its subsidiaries totaling 24 stores.
Though Hawaii is known as the healthiest of the 50 U.S. states, the native population is quite heavily affected by obesity and diabetes.
Native Hawaiians — like other Pacific Islanders — have higher cancer death rates, triple the rate of type-2 diabetes, and nearly twice the likelihood of obesity compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts, according to Healthline.
Furthermore, data from America's Health Rankings annual reports show the prevalence of obesity in Hawaii has steadily risen over the past 25 years. In 1990, Hawaii's obesity prevalence was 9.1 percent, and in 2014, it was 22.1 percent. The obesity rate has more than doubled over the last 15 years, with similar trends occurring with diabetes rates.
"The United States needs to change its healthcare spending priorities, spending less on gadgets and pills and more on prevention. Such a shift would help close the rift between those who can afford the resources to be healthy and those who cannot," Dr. Reed Tuckson, senior medical advisor at UnitedHealth stated on Healthline.
Trong Nguyen, CEO and Founder of Foods 2.0, couldn't agree more, "Prevention is so much more effective than cure and it's a great social equaliser, as everyone can afford it. Now we just need to further raise awareness of what the issues are."
Sugar 2.0 is an innovative product that replaces half the sugar content with naturally sweet soluble fibre, thereby reducing the consumer's sugar intake without affecting taste. Soluble fibre is not only naturally sweet; it also helps slow the absorption of sugar in the body.
"We are trying to fight obesity and diabetes as well as other diseases caused by excessive sugar intake without the need for the individual to completely disrupt their normal diet or palate," Nguyen explains, "With Sugar 2.0, our favourite sweets are better than ever but with just half the sugar content!"
Sales in Hawaiian supermarkets launched in November. Find out more about the product and the brand behind it here.