CSPI Wants FDA to Limit Added Sugars in Beverages

WASHINGTONThe Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), along with a group of health advocates and public health officials from major cities nationwide, is asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine a safe level of added sugars for beverages as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce Americans' high sugar consumption.

In a 54-page regulatory petition filed today with the FDA, CSPI detailed substantial scientific evidence that added sugars, especially in drinks, causes weight gain, obesity and chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and gout. In particular, a growing number of clinical trials have found that people who are assigned to drink sugary beverages gain more weight than those assigned to drink sugar-free beverages. Other clinical studies found that high-sugar diets increase triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and liver fat.

FDA classifies high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose and other sugars as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). CSPI's petition contends that the current scientific consensus is that added sugars are unsafe at the levels consumed. The petition asks FDA to determine what level of added sugars would be safe for use in beverages, and to require those limits to be phased in over several years. The petition did not propose a specific safe level, but noted several health agencies identified two-and-a-half teaspoons (10 grams) as a reasonable limit in a healthier drink. In 1982 and 1988, FDA committed to undertake a new safety determination if sugar consumption increased, or if new scientific evidence indicated a public health hazard. Both of those conditions have been met, which CSPI says obligates the FDA to act.

In addition to asking FDA to reduce levels of added sugars in beverages, the petition urges the agency to encourage industry to voluntarily reduce added sugars in breakfast cereals, baked goods and other foods. CSPI says the agency should add a separate line for added sugars on Nutrition Facts labels and mount, perhaps with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), education campaigns aimed at curbing consumption of added sugars.