American restaurant chains are abandoning a cornerstone ingredient

Restaurants across the US are cutting sugar from the menu.

More Americans are trying to cut sugar from their diet than they are any other ingredient, according data from The NPD Group, reports QSR Magazine. This is the first time since 2014 that sugar beat out fat as the most hated ingredient on menus across America.

In the '80s and 90's, low-fat was synonymous with health. Unfortunately, this overly-simplistic viewpoint resulted in food makers replacing all this fat with another ingredient: sugar.

After decades of rising sugar consumption, the anti-sugar trend is backlash from a sugar-soaked nation. Americans consume 30% more sugar daily now than three decades ago, according to the Obesity Society. American children eat three times as much added sugar as they should.

With unhealthy levels of sugar consumption, it's no wonder that there's a growing trend of customers attempting to cut the ingredient from their food.

Restaurants are now scrambling to keep up with customer demand for lower-sugar options. Jason's Deli completed its eight-year plan to cut high-fructose corn syrup from the menu this year. This year, Papa John's announced it had would high fructose corn syrup from its entire food menu and McDonald's cut the ingredient from its hamburger buns.

The changes are also influencing the packaged food industry. Beginning in July 2018, packaged food labels will be required to list added sugars in the US.

For years, sugar was an easy way for chains to boost flavor while keeping menu items low in fat. Now, however, restaurants across the US are going to need to re-work some recipes if they want to keep customers coming back.