Food scientists, regulators, health professionals, manufacturers and consumer representatives have called for stronger, evidence-based regulation and public communication on the use and safety of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) in Nigeria.
The stakeholders made the call at a two-day NIFST Academy and International Sweeteners Association (ISA) workshop on ‘Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners in Nigeria: The Science and Safety,’ held in Lagos from August 31 to September 1.
The meeting focused on the scientific evidence on LNCS, their regulation, consumer safety, and the challenges of using these ingredients in food and beverage reformulation in Nigeria.
LNCS are food ingredients that provide sweetness with little or no calories. They are commonly used in beverages, tabletop sweeteners, supplements, and some medicinal products, particularly to reduce sugar and calorie content.
The stakeholders said Nigeria needed to strengthen the link between scientific evidence, public health policy, regulation and consumer education as concerns over diet-related non-communicable diseases continue to grow.
President of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST), Dr Bola Osinowo, said the NIFST Academy was established to build professional competence and promote the use of science and data to address food and nutrition challenges.
Osinowo said discussions on sweeteners had become increasingly important against the backdrop of the country’s growing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases.
Presenting the scientific basis for assessing the safety of LNCS, ISA Director-General Laurent Oger said safety assessments should be based on the totality of available evidence rather than isolated studies.
According to him, independent expert bodies consider factors including the quality and relevance of studies, consistency of findings and biological plausibility when determining the safety of food additives.
He said risk assessments could include evidence from metabolism, toxicology, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive studies, human studies, exposure assessments and epidemiological research.
Oger also explained the role of the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), describing it as a protective benchmark for lifetime daily exposure to a substance.
He said the ADI is derived from the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL), with an additional safety factor applied to account for differences between experimental animals and humans as well as variations among individuals.
The workshop heard that assessments by international regulatory and scientific bodies, including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have supported the safety of approved LNCS when used within established conditions.
Stakeholders also cited evidence from randomised controlled trials showing that approved sweeteners, when used to replace sugars and other carbohydrates that raise blood glucose, do not adversely affect blood glucose, HbA1c or insulin secretion.
They emphasised the need to keep consumption within established ADI limits.
In Nigeria, stakeholders identified existing regulations as well as gaps in technical capacity, consumer awareness and risk communication.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said Nigeria already had the Food Additives Regulations 2021 and the Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in Food Products Regulations 2021 to guide the use of such ingredients.
The agency also noted that the Federal Government’s sugar-sweetened beverage tax had encouraged manufacturers to consider reformulating products to reduce sugar content.
However, participants said local manufacturers needed more technical support to address challenges in replacing sugar while maintaining taste, bulk, mouthfeel, viscosity and product stability, particularly under Nigeria’s hot, humid storage and distribution conditions.
The workshop also identified what participants described as a gap between awareness and functional knowledge of sweeteners among Nigerians.
Studies cited at the meeting indicated that while many consumers may be aware of sweeteners as alternatives to sugar, some consumers and professionals still have limited understanding of the ingredients’ metabolic effects and safety.
Stakeholders said the information gap, combined with the rapid spread of unverified claims online, could contribute to public confusion and misinformation about LNCS.
In its communique, the meeting recommended that the NIFST Academy and ISA develop evidence-based risk communication tools targeted at nutritionists, dietitians and medical practitioners.
Stakeholders said these tools should help address misconceptions about sweeteners and improve health professionals’ ability to communicate scientific evidence to the public.
They also called for greater alignment between Nigeria’s Food Additives Regulations 2021, the Non-Nutritive Sweeteners Regulations, and Codex Alimentarius standards.
According to the communique, such harmonisation should help simplify the registration and approval process for products reformulated with sweetener systems assessed by JECFA, while maintaining appropriate safety requirements.
Participants included representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, NAFDAC, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), food and beverage manufacturers, academic institutions, consumer groups, nutrition organisations and the media.