Part 1: Sugar Alternatives – Types & Permissibility
With sugar being the topic of many dietary conversations, the food industry is continually innovating to produce products with less sugar by adding more sugar alternatives. There are various types of sugar alternatives out there, and the details can be confusing. Regulations dictate what sugar alternatives are permitted, how to label sugar alternatives, what claims one can make regarding sugar alternatives, what products are not permitted to contain sugar alternatives, and more. In this three-part series, we will break down all you need to know about sugar alternatives.
| PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 |
|---|---|---|
| • What sugar alternatives are out there? • What sugar alternatives are permitted in South Africa? |
• Labelling sugar alternatives • Claims relating to sugar and sugar alternatives |
• Other factors to consider when using sugar alternatives |
What sugar alternatives are out there?
1. SWEETENERS
1. SWEETENERSIncluding nutritive (e.g. sugar alcohols) and non-nutritive sweeteners
- Defined as food additives
- Labelled according to the Regulations Relating to the Use of Sweeteners in Foodstuffs (R.733/2012)
1.1. Non-nutritive sweeteners
Including acesulfame K, aspartame, cyclamate, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, saccharin, sucralose, etc.
- Do not occur naturally in food (artificially produced)
- No energy content (<8 kJ according to R. 733)
- No effect on sugar levels (glycaemic response), as they are not absorbed by the body
1.2. Sugar alcohols (‘polyols’)
Including glycerol, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, lacticol, maltitol, isomalt, etc.
- Occur naturally in certain foods and are commercially produced (as sweeteners) from carbohydrates
- Reduced energy content compared to sugar (sucrose)
- No glycaemic response, but do cause an energy metabolism response (i.e. they contribute to energy intake, but not carbohydrate intake)
2. ADDED SUGARS
Including sucrose, honey, palm sugar, coconut sugar, rice syrup, agave syrup, molasses, fruit juice concentrates, HFCS, etc.
- Defined as foodstuffs
- Labelled according to the Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs (R. 146/2010)
- Similar energy content to sugar (sucrose)
- Similar glycaemic response to sugar (sucrose)
Fruit juice concentrate would primarily be added to a food product to impart sweetness, whereas a fruit juice or fruit puree may be added to a food product for a range of functions.What about date puree?
Dates have a high intrinsic sugar content, so the primary function of adding date puree to a food product could be to impart sweetness. In this case, date puree may be classed as an added sugar. If date puree is added to a food product to impart flavour or texture, it would not fall under the definition of added sugars.This is a good example of the grey area. If you are unsure how a particular ingredient would be classed in the regulatory domain, please contact us.
What sugar alternatives are permitted in South Africa?
1. SWEETNERS
South Africa’s Regulations Relating to the Use of Sweeteners in Foodstuffs (R. 733/2012) refer directly to the Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA). Therefore, any substance listed as a sweetener in the GSFA, or a mixture of two or more thereof, is permitted for use in South Africa. The GSFA is updated regularly, so please ensure that you use the latest version. The GSFA can be accessed here.
If a sweetener is not listed in the Codex GSFA, it is not permitted for use in South Africa. For example, sweeteners such as allulose (psicose) and monk fruit extract are FDA approved, but are not currently on the Codex GSFA list. Therefore, they may not be added to food products in South Africa.
Please note that the use of sweeteners in foodstuffs intended for infants/young children is prohibited according to the Regulations Relating to Foodstuffs for Infants and Young Children (R. 991 of 2012).
2. ADDED SUGARS
There is currently no list of permitted added sugars, except for the few examples included in the definition in R. 146. However, added sugars are defined as foodstuffs and not food additives. Hence, if an ingredient is classed as a foodstuff, it can generally be added to a food product to impart sweetness.
Nevertheless, there are always ingredients that fall into the grey area of sweetener versus foodstuff. If you are unsure about a particular ingredient and require assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Innovation and regulations don’t always develop in parallel; but FACTS is here to assist you to navigate these murky waters and interpret the regulations. Contact us for regulatory assistance and training; testing for sweeteners and sugar alcohols; or if you want to know more about this topic.
To view the full reference list of this article, please contact us.
Other articles, resources and videos you may be interested in:
Part 2: Sugar Alternatives – Labelling & Claims
Part 3: Sugar Alternatives – Using Sugar Alternatives
How do I know whether a certain additive is permitted in my product?
The sweet and murky waters of novel sugars and sweeteners
Sugar: Sweet regulatory nothings
The Impending Sugar Tax: Sugar under the spotlight
Food labelling resources
Food product development