ISA comments the new call for data from EFSA
Brussels, 1st July 2021: Today the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued an open call for additional data on safety of low/no calorie sweeteners1, as part of its on-going process of re-evaluation of all food additives permitted for use in the EU before January 2009 requested by the European Commission.
Low/no calorie sweeteners are amongst the most thoroughly researched ingredients worldwide and have undergone a stringent safety assessment by food safety agencies around the world, including EFSA and the Joint Expert Scientific Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The EFSA experts are conducting a re-evaluation of the totality of the available scientific evidence in order to update existing scientific opinions on sweeteners’ safety. Since the first calls for data on sweeteners in 2017, the ISA and its members have contributed data on the safety of sweeteners for EFSA review and analysis. The ISA is committed to continue to cooperate with EFSA and awaits the publication of EFSA’s scientific conclusions.
At a time when obesity and non-communicable diseases including diabetes and dental diseases remain major global health challenges, and in light of current public health recommendations to reduce overall sugar intake, low/no calorie sweeteners, can be helpful in creating healthier food environments, providing people with a wide choice of sweet-tasting options with low or no calories.