Souring on Sweeteners

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When asked how they’re adjusting their diets in an effort to lose weight, people often say they’re cutting back on sugar. But that doesn’t mean they think well of the non-sugar sweeteners in much dietetic food and drink. In a Harris Poll fielded in May, just about one-fifth of those surveyed said they view artificial sweeteners as either “extremely safe” (3 percent) or “very safe” (17 percent).

Of course, avoiding artificial sweeteners isn’t easy, given the number of products containing them. So, this leaves people to worry about the volume of sweeteners they consume. It isn’t a matter of extreme urgency for a majority of respondents, though. Asked how concerned they are about the amount of artificial sweeteners they and their families take in, 9 percent said “extremely” and another 14 percent said “very.” Forty-one percent said “somewhat,” while 36 percent said “not at all.”

Still, people want to know what’s in the products they ingest: 22 percent said it’s “extremely important” and 28 percent that it’s “very important” to them to know what sweeteners are used in foods and beverages they might buy. Thirty-three percent said it’s “somewhat important” and 16 percent “not at all important.”