Statement from the Sugar Association, Inc. on the WHO’s Public Consultation on Draft Sugars Guideline

“We acknowledge the World Health Organization’s efforts to help all nations address the issues of obesity and dental caries—we look forward to providing science-based comments during this consultation period. We are concerned that the draft guidelines’ suggested limits – which would lump together sugar (sucrose) and other caloric sweeteners – rely heavily on insufficient scientific evidence. Of note, other organizations have considered intake limits with different conclusions: a report by the U.S. Institute of Medicine (September 2002) proclaimed there was no conclusive evidence to justify establishing an intake limit for ‘added sugars.’ The European Food Safety Authority reaffirmed the same conclusion in 2010.”