They make the Kit Kat, Lion, Aero and Quality Street among many others.

Over the next few weeks, Irish households will be stocking up on Christmas goodies as preparations for the festive period go into overdrive, and it's very likely that you'll be tucking into some of your favourite chocolate bars over the course of the month. In a progressive move, the Swiss manufacturer Nestlé  have announced that they plan on reducing the amount of sugar in their products by 40% after their researchers found a way to structure sugar differently. According to their recent research, "even when much less sugar is used in chocolate, your tongue perceives an almost identical sweetness to before." The new faster dissolving sugar will enable Nestlé to significantly reduce the total sugar in its confectionery products, while ensuring that the taste remains the same. “This truly groundbreaking research is inspired by nature and has the potential to reduce total sugar by up to 40% in our confectionery. Our scientists have discovered a completely new way to use a traditional, natural ingredient”, said Stefan Catsicas, Nestlé Chief Technology Officer. Nestlé is patenting its findings and will begin to use the new sugar across a range of its confectionery products from 2018 onwards.