The Consumers' Foundation said Tuesday that sugar substitutes should be required to have clearer labeling, after finding that 23 of the 25 soft drinks and candied fruit products it randomly selected for testing contained such additives.
The foundation chose 10 soft drinks that were advertised as containing zero sugar or reduced sugar and 15 candied fruit from e-commerce sites and stores in the Greater Taipei area in July, and tested the products for sugar substitutes, it said in a statement.
The candied fruits were also tested for sulfur dioxide, which is used as a preservative.
The foundation's tests show that 23 of the 25 products contained at least one type of sugar substitute -- all within the legal amount.
However, a candied fruit product produced by the Thai brand Mag Mag was found to contain the artificial sweetener neotame, even though it was not on the ingredient list.
Under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, government authorities can compel the brand to make relevant corrections to its product labeling within a certain time period. Failure to comply can result in a fine of NT$30,000 (US$1,067) to NT$3 million.
Meanwhile, five of the candied fruits were found to contain sulfur dioxide, all within the legal limit of 0.5 grams per kilogram, the foundation said.
The foundation reminded consumers that even though some products are advertised as containing less or zero sugar, it could still be incredibly sweet due to sugar substitutes.
Long-term consumption of these products could result in one acquiring even more of a sweet tooth and eating more sugary products, the foundation said.
The foundation said that products with artificial sweeteners should be required to have additional labels stating that they contain sweetening agents, instead of only having the items in the ingredient list, so that customers can have a clearer understanding of the products.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel