Academicians suggest reducing sugar: sweeteners give consumers one more choice

Chen Junshi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, made suggestions at a forum on the sugar reduction problems faced by Chinese residents

Beijing, September 15 (China News Network) -- Chen Junshi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, recently made suggestions at a forum on the problem of sugar reduction faced by Chinese residents. He said it would be a trend for the beverage industry to replace sugar with sweeteners, but that doesn't mean there are no more sugary drinks, but rather that consumers are given more choice.

Excessive sugar intake affects health

"Sugar is not 'poison,' and people's preference for sweetness is innate." Chen Junshi said that from the perspective of nutrition, sugar is also a necessary nutrient for the human body. In addition, from the perspective of the food processing industry, sugars with a certain volume and viscosity also meet the process needs.

Talking about the impact of eating too much sugar, Chen Junshi said that it is likely to provide more energy than the human body needs.

He stressed that obesity is a chronic disease and is not caused only by eating sugar. As for caries, if people rinse their mouths in time after eating sugar to avoid microbial retention, tooth decay does not necessarily occur. In addition, diabetes is not "eaten by sugar", but diabetics must control the amount of sugar they consume.

Daily Intake "Bottom Line"

Chen Junshi quoted Chinese residents as saying that the recommended value for sugar intake is 50 grams per person per day. "But preferably less than 25 grams." He said that "50 grams" is the bottom line, and people should pay attention to the food label ingredient list to avoid "crossing the line".

As for which products contain more sugar, Chen Junshi said that there are beverages, baking, dairy products and so on. "The sugar content of candy, chocolate, etc. is of course very high, but most people don't eat too much, so we focus on the sugar that people consume from sugary foods." He explained.

He specifically mentioned that according to the health risk assessment report released by the Food Safety Risk Assessment Center, 24% of the sugar that the average person "eats" every day in the Chinese comes from yogurt, while the beverage "contribution" is only 17.7%.

New trends in the beverage industry

"Food enterprises should respond to the provisions of the 'Healthy China 2030' planning outline to help achieve a 'reasonable diet'." Chen Junshi stressed that it is necessary to find ways to reduce the sugar content as much as possible.

He suggested a variety of approaches. For example, gradually reduce sugar through technological innovation, and let consumers gradually adapt to this taste. Another example is the use of sweeteners. At the same time, consumers should also raise awareness and consciously control their sugar intake.

Chen Junshi also said that some people think that sweeteners are additives and unsafe, which is a misunderstanding. He stressed that whether it is monk fruit extract, saccharin, aspartame, xylitol, erythritol, etc., the sweeteners used in food must be approved by the relevant departments, and the maximum amount of addition is specified, and people can eat with confidence.

Looking ahead to the development prospects of the beverage industry, he said that sugary drinks will not be completely replaced, and sweeteners are also giving consumers more choices. He stressed that it is important for consumers to reasonably choose three meals a day under the guidance of scientific knowledge and be responsible for their own health. (End)

Source: China News Network