Changes in the Presence of Nonnutritive Sweeteners, Sugar Alcohols, and Free Sugars in Australian Foods. 2022

Elizabeth K Dunford, and Daisy H Coyle, and Jimmy Chun Yu Louie, and Kieron Rooney, and Anneliese Blaxland, and Simone Pettigrew, and Alexandra Jones
Department of Nutrition, Gillings Global School of Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA; Food Policy Division, The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Newtown, Australia. Electronic address: edunford@georgeinstitute.org.au.

In parallel with growing consumer interest in reducing sugar intake, manufacturers have increased availability of food and beverage products containing nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs). However, emerging evidence indicates that specific NNS types have differential effects on cardiometabolic health. This study examined overall changes in the presence of NNSs, sugar alcohols, and free sugars in the Australian food supply and the use of specific NNS types. Data for 21,051 products in 2015 and 21,366 products in 2019 were extracted from The George Institute's FoodSwitch database. The proportion of products containing NNSs, sugar alcohols, free sugars, and a combination of these, as well as proportion of products containing specific NNS types. Changes between 2015 and 2019 were examined using Pearson χ2 tests. Between 2015 and 2019, there was a significant increase in the proportion of food and beverage products containing NNSs (from 3.8% to 4.3%; P < .001) and a significant decrease in products containing free sugars (from 62.7% to 59.9%; P < .001),) driven primarily by nondairy beverages. There were changes in the use of specific NNS types between 2015 and 2019, with a large increase in the use of steviol glycosides (from 33.7% to 50.2%) and a large decrease in the use of sucralose (from 42.4% to 30.5%), aspartame (from 21.0% to 14.4%), and acesulfame K (from 57.4% to 27.7%) (P < .05 for all). These findings on the use of different NNS, sugar alcohol, and free sugar ingredients and combinations provide important research insights and will be useful in informing government policies that address sugars and other sweeteners in Australian foods.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D004032 Diet Regular course of eating and drinking adopted by a person or animal. Diets
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000073893 Sugars Short chain carbohydrate molecules that have hydroxyl groups attached to each carbon atom unit with the exception of one carbon that has a doubly-bond aldehyde or ketone oxygen. Cyclical sugar molecules are formed when the aldehyde or ketone groups respectively form a hemiacetal or hemiketal bond with one of the hydroxyl carbons. The three dimensional structure of the sugar molecule occurs in a vast array of biological and synthetic classes of specialized compounds including AMINO SUGARS; CARBASUGARS; DEOXY SUGARS; SUGAR ACIDS; SUGAR ALCOHOLS; and SUGAR PHOSPHATES. Sugar
D001315 Australia The smallest continent and an independent country, comprising six states and two territories. Its capital is Canberra. Canton and Enderbury Islands,Christmas Island,Christmas Island (Australia)
D013402 Sugar Alcohols Polyhydric alcohols having no more than one hydroxy group attached to each carbon atom. They are formed by the reduction of the carbonyl group of a sugar to a hydroxyl group. (From Dorland, 28th ed) Alcohols, Sugar,Alditol,Sugar Alcohol,Alditols,Alcohol, Sugar
D013549 Sweetening Agents Substances that sweeten food, beverages, medications, etc., such as sugar, saccharine or other low-calorie synthetic products. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed) Artificial Sweeteners,Sugar Substitutes,Sweeteners,Agent, Sweetening,Agents, Sweetening,Artificial Sweetener,Substitute, Sugar,Substitutes, Sugar,Sugar Substitute,Sweetener,Sweetener, Artificial,Sweeteners, Artificial,Sweetening Agent
D064306 Non-Nutritive Sweeteners Chemical additives, such as aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose, that give a sweet taste to foods without contributing significant calories or promoting tooth decay. They are generally much sweeter than sucrose. Artificial Sweeteners, Non-Nutritive,High-Intensity Sweeteners,Artificial Sweeteners, Non Nutritive,High Intensity Sweeteners,Non Nutritive Sweeteners,Non-Nutritive Artificial Sweeteners,Sweeteners, High-Intensity,Sweeteners, Non-Nutritive

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