Industry Disagreement on the Labeling of Non-Traditional Sugars

Food industry groups and the sugar industry have submitted recent comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding potential labeling exemptions for certain types of sugars that are not fully metabolized in the human body.  Many industry members including large food companies who have a global presence support the FDA effort to reassess sugar labeling mandates and consider new practices.  However, the sugar industry opposes the initiative and is urging FDA to continue requiring that all traditional and non-traditional sugars be declared on the Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP).  Currently, the FDA approach considers sugar based on chemical content rather than physiological effect so that there is no difference in the way the non-traditional sugars such as allulose are declared on the NFP.  Previously, the sugar industry argued that a labeling exemption for non-traditional sugars could confuse consumers and implies that these types of non-traditional sugars are healthier.

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Picture Credit Susanne Kuehne

Posted on 2 April 2021