ISA statement welcoming the publication of the technical report by Public Health England on sugar reduction
The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) welcomes the publication of the sugar reduction guidelines by Public Health England, ‘Sugar Reduction: Achieving the 20%’.
Public Health England (PHE) endorses low calorie sweeteners’ use in foods and drinks by recognising their helpful role in weight management, stating that: “replacing foods and drinks sweetened with sugar with those containing no or low calorie sweeteners could be useful in helping people to manage their weight as they reduce the calorie content of foods and drinks while maintaining a sweet taste. For this reason, PHE acknowledges that foods and drinks containing low/no-calorie sweeteners can be useful in helping to reduce calories.”
The UK government is aiming for a 20% reduction in total sugar by 2020 as a part of efforts to tackle childhood obesity, and the PHE technical report puts forward three approaches that the food industry can take in order to meet this goal. Specifically, these include:
- reformulating products to lower the levels of sugar present
- reducing the portion size, and/or the number of calories in single-serve products
- shifting consumer purchasing towards lower or no added sugar products
For more information, you may access the technical report by Public Health England entitled ‘Sugar Reduction: Achieving the 20%’ by clicking here.