Dar es Salaam. The International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA) Africa has called for evidence-based dialogue in shaping nutrition and food policies, particularly on the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners as countries seek to reduce sugar consumption.
The call follows a series of roundtable discussions held in South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria, bringing together regulators, scientists, public health experts, industry representatives and other stakeholders to examine the evidence surrounding low- and no-calorie sweeteners.
ICBA Africa executive director Iddah Asin said the engagements were intended to provide a platform for stakeholders to discuss the role of sweeteners in nutrition policy while considering the priorities and circumstances of individual countries.
“These engagements were designed to create a space for open and evidence-based dialogue to discuss low- and no-calorie sweeteners, and the role they play in Africa’s broader nutrition and food policy conversations,” she said.
According to Ms Asin, multi-stakeholder discussions were important because they enabled policymakers, regulators, scientists, health experts and industry representatives to share perspectives and examine available evidence on the safety and potential benefits of low- and no-calorie sweeteners.
She said ICBA Africa, which represents the non-alcoholic beverage industry on the continent, supports policies that encourage product reformulation, expand consumer choice and contribute to balanced diets.
Low- and no-calorie sweeteners have remained part of the wider debate on sugar reduction, with industry arguing that they can provide consumers with beverage options containing less sugar and fewer calories.
Ms Asin said the ingredients had undergone extensive safety assessments, citing aspartame as an example. She said the sweetener had been approved by more than 90 food safety regulatory agencies and assessed as safe by the United Nations Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
She said one of the main lessons from the roundtables was the need to keep nutrition policy discussions balanced and based on scientific evidence rather than misinformation or misconceptions. Ms Asin said ICBA Africa would continue engaging governments, academia, health professionals, civil society, consumer groups and industry to support evidence-informed approaches to nutrition policy.
She said such collaboration was necessary to ensure that Africa’s evolving food policies protect public health while enabling consumers to make informed choices.
