Canadian consumers with restricted diets, as well as health-conscious consumers at large, just got more options to satisfy their sweet tooth. On the heels of a landmark decision in Canada to allow saccharin sweeteners to be used as an ingredient in a wide range of food products, Health Canada recently approved the zero-calorie sweetener in the familiar pink packets to be available in grocery stores, restaurants and other outlets. By lifting restrictions on saccharin, Canada joins the United States and more than 100 other countries, and authorities such as the World Health Organization, who have long allowed the sweetener as a safe and healthy alternative to sugar.

Decades of Research Backs Safety of Saccharin

The sweeping changes to saccharin regulations in Canada are backed by decades of research. In fact, saccharin is one of the most studied ingredients in the food supply, and extensive research has long supported the conclusion that saccharin is safe for consumption.  Health-conscious consumers around the world embrace the sweetener as a healthy alternative to sugar. Canadian, American, British, German, Swiss and Scandinavian researchers have exhaustively reviewed research on saccharin and have voiced strong support for saccharin as a safe no-calorie sweetener.

What Nutrition, Diabetes, and Heart Associations Have to Say

Three U.S.-based organizations have posted positions on non-nutritive sweeteners. As a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) noted: “The safety of artificial sweeteners has been studied for years.” Further, in a joint position, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association said that: “Non-nutritive sweeteners, when used judiciously, can help reduce the intake of added sugars in food and drinks and, therefore, assist in weight control. A high intake of added sugars can contribute to cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity and other health problems.”

Move Followed Approval of Saccharin as Ingredient in Foods and Beverages

The move to lift restrictions on saccharin comes roughly two years after Canadian health officials approved the use of saccharin, calcium saccharin, potassium saccharin and sodium saccharin to be used as an ingredient in various foods and beverages. Unlike the previous government action, the most recent one is far more sweeping and would allow for saccharin to be sold directly to consumers in grocery stores or distributed on restaurant tabletops.

For additional information about the benefits and safety of saccharin, please visit http://saccharin.ca/.