Utah wanted to know about the use of sucralose in our products, so I've asked around.
First here's Utah's question:
Cathy, I was wondering why there is Sucralose is so many of the corporation's products, including ones that have sucrose/sugar. Many people have problems or fears with "fake" sugar. I can understand why for sugar free products, but every time my wife picks up a product with Sucralose, or any of the other fake sugars, it gets put back down. You would think you could buy something from Q/A that was real. Take the sports drinks, some are sugar free, but the rest still have sucralose.
And here's the answer from one of my favorites in the Legal Department, Julie D.:
Sucralose is approximately 600 times sweeter than table sugar, twice as sweet as saccharin, and four times as sweet as aspartame. The great thing about sucralose is that, unlike aspartame, it is stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions. Thus, it is wonderful for baking and for products, such as our Trim Advantage bars, which require a longer shelf life. In fact, because of these positive attributes, sucralose can be found in more than 4,500 food and beverage products.
Out of all of the approved artificial sweeteners, the World Health Organization says that sucralose is arguably the most safe. Human studies have concluded its safe use for the general population, including such high risk groups as diabetics, pregnant women and children. It was first approved for use in Canada in 1991. Subsequent approvals came in Australia (1993), New Zealand (1996), United States (1998) and in the European Union (2004). As of this year, sucralose has been approved in over 80 countries, including the regulatory stringent countries such as China, India and Japan. I checked the FDA's public documents with regard to sucralose's safety and found a lot of useful information. In determining the safety of sucralose, the FDA reviewed data from more than 110 studies in humans and animals. Many of the studies were designed to identify possible toxic effects, including carcinogenic, reproductive and neurological effects. No such effects were found. FDA's approval is based on the finding that sucralose is safe for human consumption.
Critics of sucralose often favor natural alternatives, such as stevia. However, stevia is an unapproved food additive US. In fact, there is currently an import alert calling for all FDA field agents to block the importation of stevia leaves for foods, extract of stevia leaves for foods, and all foods containing stevia. Over the past 15 years, FDA has rejected three food additive petitions for stevia because its safety had not been adequately demonstrated. The US FDA is not alone in its refusal to accept stevia as a food additive. In a lengthy five page opinion, the Scientific Committee on Food for the European Commission concluded that there is no satisfactory data to support the safe use of stevia in the European Union. The World Health Organization has also expressed its concern that there are inadequate safety data in support of stevia.