Beginning with Saccharin in the 1870′s, sugar substitutes and other artificial sweeteners have grown into a multi billion dollar industry that spans the globe. Recently, on All Tech Considered from National Public Radio, host Robert Siegel interviews author Carolyn de la Pena about her new book which explores the growth and development of artificial sweeteners. The August 2010 edition of leading trade journal CoffeeTalk features artificial sweeteners on its cover as well as in an article by Katie Bakker entitled “White, Brown, Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, Clear…a universe of sweet colors.” Consumers are on the march in search of alternatives to sugar.

What is it about sugar that would make people want to leave it behind in search of alternatives? Study after study confirms the tie between sugar consumption and adverse health effects such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, periodontal disease and obesity. Sugar substitutes on the other hand offer the promise of all the sweetness, and in most cases even more, than sugar. As they are not sugar, these sweeteners offer an attractive benefit to those on a diet as they are advertised as zero calorie, no calorie, or calorie free.

Due to their popularity, many coffee shops prominently display and offer artificial sweeteners in their stores. As many customers turn to leave with their beverage in hand, they are conveniently facing the condiment counter where they are given a wide number of sweeteners to choose from. Author Katie Bakker notes that coffee shops offer their customers such a wide choice of sweeteners as customers will be more likely to make a purchase and remain loyal. Clearly there is as much a demand to sell sweeteners as there is to consume them.

If artificial sweeteners are better for you than sugar and do not contain any calories, then why are there so many of them? Surely one is enough? The truth is, there is a great variety between different kinds of sweeteners. Some claim to be made or derived from sugar while on the other hand, others are made from compounds not found in nature and require extensive processing.

Despite the apparent benefits of sugar substitutes, there are a number of health risks that they pose to consumers. Back in the 1970′s, the Food and Drug Administration made it a requirement that any product containing saccharin had to have the following label: “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.” There was a subsequent study conducted by the National Cancer Institute that definitively linked saccharin to bladder cancer. However, under intense pressure from the saccharin industry, it was congress not the FDA that removed the warning label from saccharin products.

Splenda is alternative sweetener that claims that as it is a sugar derivative it has no such cancer causing chemicals. Splenda has had such slogans as “It starts with sugar. It tastes like sugar. But it’s not sugar.” These slogans have launched numerous lawsuits across the world against the claims they make. The Sugar Association has even filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the makers of Splenda. In its complaint, the Sugar Association says that Splenda is not cultivated, nor grown and does not occur in nature. McNeil Nutritionals, the manufacturer of Splenda, contends that their advertising “represents the products in an accurate and informative manner and complies with applicable advertising rules in the countries where Splenda brand products are marketed.” In the United States Splenda is marketed as a no calorie sweetener. In actuality, there are 3.31 calories per packet of Splenda. McNeil Nutritionals are allowed to take advantage of a loop hole whereby they can claim that Splenda is no calorie product. In particular, the FDA allows a product to be labeled as “zero calorie” so long as “food contains less than 5 calories per reference amount customarily consumed and per labeled serving.”

Sucralose, the ingredient in Splenda that gives it its sweetness has been found to be more than 600 times sweeter than sugar. Manufacturers of products such as Equal, Nutrasweet and others have had a number of marketing campaigns around the fact that their products are sweeter than sugar too but without causing weight gain. You can enjoy all the sweetness you used to with sugar but maintain good health. According the NPR interview, de la Pena says that the sugar substitutes that we use today are from 200 to 600 times sweeter than sugar. While in themselves they do not cause weight gain, these products do impact how we perceive and experience sweetness and how it can cause us to desire it more. We have become addicted not so much to sugar but to the sensation of sweetness whether it comes from sugar or from a sweetener. In this interview de la Pena goes on to point out that there are new studies coming out proving a correlation between artificial sweeteners and weight gain. This is counter intuitive as consumers who opt for artificial sweeteners tend to think they are eating healthier, not worse. Could it be that because we know we are consuming a zero calorie product that it is somehow better for us and therefore we can eat more of it than we would normally? Perhaps.

In a sense, every individual has to be their own consumer advocate. No amount of government oversight or regulation can make each and every product safe. There is no amount of product innovations that can mitigate every negative side effect from a product. It then becomes incumbent upon everyone to make sure that they take precautions and research the products and foods that they consume.

Bobby Finley is the author of this and other articles related to consumer protection and product safety. He is the founder and General Manager of coffee import company www.mdmimports.com. His passion for gourmet coffee beans extends beyond the commercial aspect of the company and into issues such as the living conditions in coffee producing countries, free and fare trade and product safety.