On safety of sweeteners in non-alcoholic beverages. The position of DRINKSUNION Eurasia
2023-10-23 11:43
The range of#nbsp;drinks continues to#nbsp;expand. On#nbsp;the one hand, this trend is#nbsp;connected with the withdrawal from the market of#nbsp;some transnational brands. On#nbsp;the other hand, excise taxation has had impact on#nbsp;the structure of#nbsp;beverage market. One of#nbsp;the goals of#nbsp;excise taxation was to#nbsp;fight against excessive sugar consumption and to#nbsp;develop the culture of#nbsp;moderate consumption. That’s why the trend we#nbsp;see meets the needs of#nbsp;this demand. In#nbsp;effect there are more drinks with low sugar content and in#nbsp;order to#nbsp;create the usual taste traditional sweeteners are used.
Nowadays it#nbsp;is#nbsp;getting difficult to#nbsp;correctly understand the streams of#nbsp;information for a#nbsp;modern consumer regarding benefits and harms of#nbsp;aspartame and acesulfame. Besides, many controversial massages concerning allegedly harm effects of#nbsp;sweeteners appear rom scientific public. However, we#nbsp;suggest using common sense and official documents, which allow producers to#nbsp;use only safe sweeteners.
What concerns the question of#nbsp;harm effects, the information about danger of#nbsp;aspartame and acesulfame contradicts the base of#nbsp;scientific evidence of#nbsp;last decades and can lead consumers to#nbsp;misunderstanding and consuming more products with sugar.
Sweeteners including aspartame, which is#nbsp;used as#nbsp;part of#nbsp;production of#nbsp;non-alcoholic beverages, is#nbsp;one of#nbsp;the most studied ingredients in#nbsp;the world. Sugar sweeteners which are used in#nbsp;food industry have been strictly assessed in#nbsp;terms of#nbsp;safety by#nbsp;many world food safety agencies, including JECFA, FDA and EFSA.
Not to#nbsp;forget, sweeteners can be#nbsp;used as#nbsp;a#nbsp;tool to#nbsp;decrease the calorie content of#nbsp;a#nbsp;human diet.
IARC defined the cancerogenity of#nbsp;aspartame at#nbsp;the level of#nbsp;aloe vera, which is#nbsp;commonly used in#nbsp;food industry. The same level has hot water and canned peas.
Sweeteners studies at#nbsp;the global level confirm that sweeteners consumption as#nbsp;part of#nbsp;food and drinks is#nbsp;lower than allowable daily consumption rtae at#nbsp;the level of#nbsp;population, both regarding children and adults.
Recently, the opinion has been spreading that sugary drinks in#nbsp;some cases are a#nbsp;significant source of#nbsp;sugars that contribute to#nbsp;the development of#nbsp;a#nbsp;number of#nbsp;non-communicable diseases. Drinks using sweeteners can be#nbsp;a#nbsp;healthy alternative to#nbsp;weight control. Psychologists from the University of#nbsp;Liverpool conducted a#nbsp;long-term study to#nbsp;understand how drinks with artificial sweeteners affect the process of#nbsp;controlling body weight.
An#nbsp;article by#nbsp;Professor Jason Halford published in#nbsp;the International Journal of#nbsp;Obesity concludes that the use of#nbsp;non-nutritious sweetened beverages (NNS) does not interfere with the process of#nbsp;weight control, even compared to#nbsp;water.