A new range of low-sugar sweets and chocolates is being planned by Cadbury Schweppes as it redirects investment to meet the changing tastes of increasingly health-conscious consumers.

Cadbury wants to put 66 per cent more money into the “lite sweets” market by 2009, increasing spending from £78 million to £126 million on artificial sweeteners, flavourings and the reformulation of existing products into a low-calorie model.

The company, which is on the brink of launching low-calorie versions of its Maynards Wine Gums and Bassetts Allsorts, intends to lift its investment from 1 per cent of total confectionery revenues, which stand at £7.8 billion, to 1.5 per cent by 2009 when they are expected to reach £8.6 billion. The increase means that the company will pour more than £500 million into research over the next five years.

David Macnair, Cadbury Schweppes’s chief science and technology officer, said that low-sugar products were “a core part” of its strategy, details of which will be given on June 19.

Mr Macnair said that the company would create its own new sweeteners and would also work with third parties to co-develop new technology. “It’s not just about sweetener technology, but also how it is put into the product and encapsulated so that the texture and flavour remain the same,” he said.

He said that Cadbury was working on a Dairy Milk Lite product, although the reformulation of the famous chocolate brand is at an early stage.

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