Food Safety Focus (219th Issue, October 2024) – Article 2

Understanding Standard Setting for Sweeteners in Food

Reported by Ms. Sosanna WONG, Scientific Officer,
Risk Assessment Section, Centre for Food Safety

Sweeteners are food additives that are in general on a weight basis substantially sweeter than the common natural sugars. They can therefore be added to foods and beverages at considerably lower amounts to achieve the desired sweetness, leading to a lower caloric content in the final product. This article is the introduction of a series of articles on sweeteners in food.

Standard Setting for Sweeteners at the International Level

To protect public health, sweeteners have to undergo stringent evaluation by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) / World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Only food additives with justified technological need that have been assigned an acceptable daily intake (ADI) or determined, on the basis of other criteria, to be safe by JECFA are included in the General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) published by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). All sweeteners listed in Codex GSFA have been evaluated by JECFA and found acceptable for use in foods.

The Codex GSFA sets forth the maximum levels of permitted food additives, including sweeteners, in specified food categories/items.  The approach of setting maximum levels of additives for specified foods is also adopted by various jurisdictions such as the Mainland, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.  This ensures that the intake of a food additive from all its uses does not have health concern.

Besides, the Codex GSFA also contains a list of additives that are acceptable for use in foods in general when used in accordance with the good manufacturing practice (GMP) principles (i.e. GMP additives).  Besides JECFA, other national authorities have conducted risk assessments on these GMP additives and concluded that the use of these additives in food does not represent a hazard to health.

What are Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) principles in the use of food additives? According to Codex (Codex General Standard for Food Additives CXS 192-1995), food additives shall be used under conditions of GMP, which include the following: a) The quantity of the additive added to food shall be limited to the lowest possible level necessary to accomplish its desired effect; b) The amount of the additive that becomes a component of food as a result of its use in the manufacturing, processing or packaging of a food and which is not intended to accomplish any physical, or other technical effect in the food itself, is reduced to the extent reasonably possible; and, c) The additive is of appropriate food grade quality and is prepared and handled in the same way as a food ingredient.

To ensure the Codex standards are consistent with current scientific knowledge and conducive to the protection of public health, existing standards including those in the Codex GSFA will be reviewed and amended as necessary and new standards will be proposed and set by Codex.

Figure 2. Standard setting for food additives including sweeteners at the international level

The Local Situation

In Hong Kong, the regulation of sweeteners in food is governed by the Sweeteners in Food Regulations (Cap. 132U).  First enacted in 1970, Cap. 132U was last amended in 2010 to include two new permitted sweeteners ─ neotame and steviol glycosides ─ both deemed safe by JECFA.  By adopting a “positive list” approach, Cap. 132U stipulates that no person shall sell, consign or deliver or import any food intended for human consumption containing any sweetener which is not specified in the Schedule.  Currently, there are ten permitted sweeteners listed under Cap. 132U, namely acesulfame potassium, alitame, aspartame, aspartame-acesulfame salt, cyclamic acid (and sodium, potassium, calcium salts), saccharin (and sodium, potassium, calcium salts), sucralose, thaumatin, neotame, and steviol glycosides.

To align with the latest international developments on the regulation of sweeteners in food, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) has commenced the work to review the regulatory control of sweeteners. When reviewing the sweeteners for various food pairs under Cap. 132U, besides making reference to the latest Codex GSFA, various relevant factors will be taken into account including the local food consumption pattern and dietary practice, relevant standards adopted by various jurisdictions (e.g. the Mainland and the European Union), and results of risk assessments conducted.

The review exercise aims to enhance protection for consumers while harmonising local and international food safety standards. Ultimately, this alignment would facilitate international trade and provide a benchmark for the food trade, ensuring that their products remain safe for consumers.