Sugar & Sweeteners
What is sugar?
The term sugar refers to a type of carbohydrate that your body uses for energy.
What's the difference between Sugars and Added Sugars?
Sugars (or Total Sugars as it is labeled on foods and beverages) is the measure of simple sugars in one serving of the product. This is a combination of the naturally occurring simple carbohydrates from the main product ingredients themselves such as apples, oranges, and berries, as well as added sugar from ingredients added to the product such as table sugar, honey, brown sugar, corn sweeteners, and molasses to name a few.
Naturally occurring or Added Sugars are chemically identical and your body has similar metabolic responses to both.
What are low-calorie sweeteners?
Low-calorie sweeteners are natural or man-made substances that produce a sweet, sugar-like flavor in the mouth but have zero or nearly zero calories.
How do low-calorie sweeteners compare in sweetness to sugar?
Since low-calorie sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar, the amount found in foods and beverages is quite small and safe to be consumed daily. For example, purified stevia leaf extract is about 250 times sweeter than sucrose and sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than sugar.
What are the benefits of using low- calorie sweeteners?
Research has supported the benefits of consuming foods and beverages sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners including reducing calorie intake, helping to manage blood glucose levels and preventing dental cavities.
Are low-calorie sweeteners safe?
All of the low-calorie sweeteners used in our products have been evaluated and approved by numerous independent scientific commissions and regulatory agencies around the world. In addition, The American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute have each determined that low-calorie sweeteners are safe and current evidence does not show an increase the risk for cancer.
What is Sucralose?
Sucralose is a no-calorie sweetener. It is approximately 600 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose) which means that only a small amount is needed to sweeten a food or beverage and it doesn't contribute any calories.
Sucralose was approved for use in foods and beverages by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. Before approving the sweetener, FDA evaluated more than 100 human safety studies conducted over a 20-year period. Endorsements from other agencies, which independently reviewed the data, include The Health Protection Branch of Health and Welfare Canada, The National Food Authority of Australia and The American Council on Science and Health. Sucralose has been found to be safe by the World Health Organization and is approved for use in foods and beverages in more than 40 countries.
What is Purified Stevia Leaf Extract?
Purified Stevia Leaf Extract is derived from the leaves of the Stevia plant and is 250 times sweeter than sucrose so it has virtually no calories when used in foods and beverages. It has a long history of use in many countries including Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico and Russia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has publicly stated that it has no questions about the safety of Stevia Extract for use as a general-purpose sweetener in foods and beverages. Source
What is Monk Fruit?
Monk Fruit Extract is a no-calorie sweetener from the Monk Fruit plant which grows in Southern China and Northern Thailand. It’s 150-200 times sweeter than sugar, so less is needed to create the great tasting product.
What is Acesulfame Potassium?
Acesulfame Potassium, also known as Ace-K is approximately 200 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose) which means that only a small amount is needed to sweeten a food or beverage and it contributes few, if any, calories.
Acesulfame potassium has been used in Europe since 1983 and in the U.S. since 1988. It can now be found in foods and beverages in countries around the world. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reaffirmed the sweetener's safety numerous times since its first approval. The Scientific Committee for Food of the European Union and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the scientific advisory body to the World Health Organization, have both determined that ace-K is safe for use in foods and beverages.
What is Aspartame?
Aspartame is a non-nutritive sweetener made up of two amino acids: aspartic acid and phenylalanine. When aspartic acid and phenylalanine are combined, they create a sweet taste similar to sugar. Aspartame is approximately 200 times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose) which means that only a small amount is needed to sweeten a food or beverage and it contributes few, if any, calories.
People have safely consumed products containing aspartame for over 40 years. The sweetener has been tested continuously since its introduction and its safety has been consistently re-affirmed by more than 100 scientific studies since then.
What is Erythritol?
Erythritol belongs to a class of compounds called sugar alcohols, or polyols, which are used as lower calorie sweeteners in foods and beverages in place of sugars. It’s also naturally present in many foods particularly fruits and vegetables.
Erythritol is approved as safe (substantiated by a number of safety studies) for use in foods and beverages in over 60 countries including the US, Canada, Europe, and Mexico.
Learn More
Learn more about Sugar and Sweeteners at: Food and Drug Administration or Calorie Control Council or The International Food Information Council (IFIC)
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