The Sugar Association: Sweetener transparency more relevant and needed than ever

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sugar Association today (Thursday) renewed its call for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to end decades of inaction and require transparent labeling of non-sugar sweeteners ("sweeteners"), in line with the Make America Healthy (MAHA) agenda and consumers' demand for informed choice.

In the second supplement since its original 2020 petition supported by 30,000 citizen signatories, the Sugar Association highlights that FDA's failure to enact sweetener transparency has contributed to sky-rocketing use of sweeteners in food, including food for children, with very little consumer awareness. The number of new products introduced annually containing sweeteners has increased by nearly 900% over the last 25 years.

Sugar Association polling conducted in April 2026 found that 82% of Americans prefer real sugar over sweeteners, and 85% prefer real sugar over sweeteners in foods served to children in school. Nearly all (98%) MAHA supporters want to know what ingredients are in their food and beverages, including whether they contain sweeteners, and 75% of MAHA supporters would prefer that chemical names currently used in ingredient lists be identified as sweeteners. Previous Sugar Association polling found that 87% of Americans want to know if their food contains sweeteners, but 66% of the time consumers are unable to correctly identify sweeteners by chemical names on ingredient lists.

The Sugar Association urges FDA to require that food companies:

• Identify sweeteners by purpose in ingredient lists - adding "sweetener" in parentheses following the ingredient's chemical name, as is required in Europe
• Label the name and quantity (in mg per serving) of all sweeteners on the front of package for products aimed at children
• Disclose sweetener use on the front of package if the product makes any reduced sugar content claim (e.g., "zero sugar," "no sugar added," "reduced sugar")
• Disclose if a reduced sugar product is not at least 25% lower in calories than its reference food
• Disclose risk of gastrointestinal effects, observed even at low levels of use (10mg), for all sugar alcohols and novel sweeteners (disclosure is only currently required for sorbitol)

Sugar Association President and CEO P. Courtney Gaine PhD, RD, commented:

"While healthy diets are often hotly debated, nearly all Americans support ingredient transparency - which for sweeteners is urgently needed and long overdue.

Previous administrations have actively incentivized sky-rocketing sweetener use for decades. FDA must finally act to ensure Americans are at least informed about what goes into yogurt, granola, peanut butter, and hundreds of other foods when real sugar is taken out."

For more information, see:

• Today's supplement linked here
• The 2022 first supplement linked here
• The original 2020 petition linked here
• More information on the Campaign for Sweetener Transparency here, including examples of sweetener-containing products and labels

 About the Sugar Association:
The Sugar Association, founded in 1943, is the scientific voice of the U.S. sugar industry. The association is committed to making a difference by continuously supporting scientific research and sharing its knowledge that there's more to real sugar by increasing consumer understanding of and confidence in the role that it plays in a nutritious, balanced, and enjoyable diet. The Sugar Association represents nearly 11,000 beet and cane sugar growers, as well as processors and refiners of sugar. The U.S. sugar industry generates 151,000 jobs in more than two dozen states and contributes $23.3 billion to the economy annually. For more information, visit sugar.org, follow us on X and Instagram, and connect with us on Facebook.

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SOURCE The Sugar Association