Batory Foods, a national distributor of food and fine ingredients, is capitalizing on its recent growth in the sweeteners sector by generating a business unit focused on customer solutions. The new entity, Batory Sweetener Solutions, comes on the heels of Batory Foods’ acquisition of Savannah-based Sweetener Solutions in early 2022.

Batory Sweetener Solutions will be dedicated to initiatives surrounding food and beverage sweeteners, from conventional ingredients and low-sugar alternatives to precision blending and custom formulation. The business will incorporate unique sugar reduction technologies and innovative ingredients that empower customers to simplify the sweetening process through Batory’s portfolio and customization capabilities. In doing so, Batory aims to capitalize upon opportunities created by an industry-wide shift toward sugar reduction efforts that don’t sacrifice taste, texture, formulation ease, or health benefits.

Sugar reduction advocacy and execution will be front and center for the new business unit, which aims to meet discouraging rates of excess sugar consumption in America with viable, ingredients science-based solutions. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the average American adult consumes 77 g of sugar per day, more than three times the recommended amount. Fortunately, recognition is increasingly widespread, as the AHA also reports that seven out of 10 people are willing to substitute a favorite snack for a lower-sugar alternative.

“Through Batory Sweetener Solutions, Batory Foods is eager to support customers in making a meaningful impact on healthier food and beverage products through more and better-tasting lower-sugar options,” says Vince Pinneri, president at Batory Foods. “As a prominent and ever-growing player in the sweeteners and sugar reduction spaces, we see it as our corporate responsibility to help alleviate a substantial public health problem, while supporting our customers to offer great products to their consumers.”

Heading up Batory Sweetener Solutions will be Jessica Zielinski, whose appointment follows a successful two-year stint as Batory Foods’ director of sales. Zielinski has extensive experience in the food ingredients sector, including a decade-long, upwardly mobile tenure with Tate & Lyle and, before that, applications science roles elsewhere in the industry. Combined, Zielinski brings to her new leadership role a multi-disciplinary background spanning technical applications, product management, sales, and business development.

“Our exponential growth in the sweeteners space over the past few years brought us to this very satisfying place—one where our sweeteners capabilities called for its own dedicated cornerstone of our business,” continues Pinneri. “As Batory Sweetener Solutions launches and matures, we will continue to broaden our ingredient offerings and capabilities in the sweetener realm, aligning with key consumer trends in sugar reduction and replacement—all while meeting mounting sugar consumption concerns with innovative, palate-pleasing solutions.”