Monitoring Trends in Packaged Food Supply for Added Sugar and Sweeteners: Are We Jumping out of the Frying Pan into the Fire?

• Published in: Turkish journal of agriculture : food science and technology Vol. 12; no. 8; pp. 1457 - 1466
• Main Authors: Murat Gürbüz, Selinay Demirel, Miray Nur Aykut, Esma Nur Erdoğan, Beyza Balcı, Gözde Özaslan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkish Science and Technology Publishing (TURSTEP) 01-08-2024
• Subjects: added sugar; food additives; intense sweeteners; non-nutritive sweeteners; polyols
• ISSN: 2148-127X
• DOI: 10.24925/turjaf.v12i8.1457-1466.6791

Excessive sugar intake can lead to poor health outcomes. The use of sweeteners is considered as a strategy to reduce added sugar consumption. The presence of sweeteners in food products has increased significantly in many countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the added sugars and sweeteners in packaged products. 1550 (57.9%) out of 2676 food products contained at least one added sugar. Confectionery and desserts (35.38±24.82 g/100 g), and snack foods (20.70±16.20 g/100 g) were the main categories containing the highest amount of added sugar. 229 (8.6%) out of 2676 food products contained various types of sweeteners. The most popular added sugar was sucrose (62.9%), while the most popular sweetener was sorbitol (28.2%). This is the most comprehensive study in the city center of Edirne province in Türkiye reporting on the types and frequency of added sugars and sweeteners in packaged products. This study offers monitoring to improve the legislation of Türkiye on added sugars and sweeteners used in the food supply.