GOOD news for the sweet-toothed - a ground-breaking reduced sugar chocolate bar developed in the region will hit the shelves next week.

In 2016, Nestlé announced a new innovation - transforming the structure of sugar to make it dissolve more quickly on the tongue, allowing the use of less sugar with the same sweetness.

And next Tuesday the company is launching the first product in the world to be made using the technology - Milkybar Wowsomes, which have 30 per cent less sugar and contain no artificial sweeteners, colours, flavourings or preservatives.

The product was developed at Nestlé’s global confectionery product technology centre in York, which also helped develop the sugar technology.

The centre's head, Jas Scott de Martinville, said: “The ambition behind Milkybar Wowsomes was enormous and it has been a real challenge for us.

"To create a product in just 12 months which has 30 per cent less sugar than similar chocolate products and contains no artificial sweeteners is extraordinary. We have also made sure that our largest individually wrapped product contains 95 calories per bar."

She added: "We will continue our work and take this technology further so we can deliver more confectionery products that taste great and are better for our consumers.”

Nestlé UK & Ireland's chief executive Stefano Agostini said: “We announced earlier this month that we have taken out more than 60 billion calories and 2.6 billion teaspoons of sugar from across our food and drink portfolio in the last three years.

"A new product like Milkybar Wowsomes introduces greater choice and allows parents to treat their children with chocolate that tastes great but has less sugar."