Display artificial sweetener info front of pack, say consumers

The survey findings suggest that 38% urban Indians consume artificial sweeteners, while one in three consume it every month in the form of diet soda or chewing gum. Sugar-free chocolates and ice cream are other most popular foods with artificial sweeteners among consumers, the survey findings revealed.

The survey comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) released the hazard and risk assessment findings of non-sugar sweetener aspartame. In a brief published on 14 July, the WHO said its cancer research arm International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) on the basis of “limited” evidence for cancer in humans. Meanwhile, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) reaffirmed that it was safe for a person to consume aspartame within permissible limits per day.

In May, the WHO also released guidelines on non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) that recommended against the use of NSS to control body weight or reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.

LocalCircle survey received over 23,000 responses from consumers located in 295 districts of India. Of this, 42% respondents were from tier 1, 34% from tier 2 and 24% respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts.

The survey gauged consumer attitudes towards artificial sweeteners and their consumption patterns.

“It must be noted here that a large number of products are available in the market now, which by default contain artificial sweeteners and are being heavily consumed by not only adults but even children. Recently, it was reported on LocalCircles how a globally popular health sports drink was regularly being consumed by children 7-18 regularly in Indian metros,” it said.

The health regulator should mandate manufacturers of such products to list usage of non-sugar sweeteners on the front of pack to help consumers make an informed decision, LocalCircles said.

Updated: 15 Jul 2023, 02:26 PM IST