Splenda/sucralose

[Guest guest]

I received a private query about sucralose. I thought it might be

beneficial to post the answer for the benefit of all

newbies.

Sucralose is sold in supermarkets now and is under the

brand name

Splenda. It is the sweetner of choice for cronies.

It's sold loose by

the box or in packets just like sugar or other

artifical sweetners.

Zero calories and considered safe for consumption.

(Warren , on

the main list, buys it in bulk for those who want to

order large

quantities).

That said, many of us don't use a lot of it in recipes

but might use

fruit or allfruit type preserves instead to add extra

nutrients. I

prefer: unsweetened applesauce, blueberry allfruit (no

sugar), or very

ripe bananas for sweetners in dessert recipes (See the

archives for

Chessy poo cake recipe for example). For coffee and

tea, I do use

Splenda. For other desserts I buy non-sugar ice cream

(now available

with Healthy Choice and Edy's) and non-sugar ice pops

(about 7 cal) (I

only eat a small amt of ice cream a day) and I chew

non-sugar gum (zero

cal) for a sweet craving when I need to. The

non-sugar gum is highly

recommended to get you through to mealtime and for a

sweet tooth.

Lately I'm finding green tea (hot or iced) with a bit

of Splenda (you

only need a bit as Splenda quite sweet) helps before

meals to give me a

full feeling. Again zero calories.

[Guest guest]

What is the evidence of any danger?

Sounds like a scare tactic to get consumers back buying SUGAR which is dangerous

to good health.

(I'd be surprised if there wasn't sugar industry money behind the suits.)

Since when has marketing ever had anything to do with reality?

JR

-----Original Message-----

From: Rodney [mailto:perspect1111@...]

Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 4:46 PM

Subject: [ ] Splenda/Sucralose

jfi

" J & J Faces Lawsuits Over Splenda Marketing

Monday, January 31, 2005

WASHINGTON — & (JNJ) is facing a raft of lawsuits

over a marketing campaign related to its artificial sweetener

Splenda, which accuse the company of misleading buyers to believe

Splenda is a natural product.

Splenda, which has enjoyed rapid sales growth on the back of a boom

in low-carbohydrate eating in the last couple of years, is marketed

by J & J's McNeil Nutritionals Worldwide division with the

line: " Splenda No Calorie Sweetener is made from sugar, so it tastes

like sugar. "

But the Sugar Association says the marketing pitch does not

accurately reflect the end product and is misleading because it gives

the impression that Splenda contains natural sugar.

McNeil faces three class-action suits from individuals, one from the

Sugar Association and one from Merisant Worldwide Inc, the maker of

rival low-calorie sweetener products including Equal and Canderel.

" & is misinforming consumers about the reality of the

chlorinated product Splenda, " said , counsel for the

Sugar Association, whose lawsuit seeks aunspecified damages, a

nationwide injunction and corrective advertising.

" We feel the public needs to be aware that Splenda is an artificial

chemical sweetener. Splenda is created with chlorine, and the final

product does not have sugar in it, " he said.

Splenda's Web Site (http://www.splenda.com) says the product is

made " through a patented process that starts with sugar and converts

it to a no calorie, noncarbohydrate sweetener. The process

selectively replaces three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar

molecule with three chlorine atoms. "

A spokeswoman for McNeil Nutritional told Reuters that the lawsuits

had no merit.

" Consumers are utilizing no-calorie sweeteners versus other

sweeteners like sugar, and you would have to draw your own

conclusions about why now these efforts are being launched. " said

Neufang, director of communications for McNeil,

" We have never represented Splenda as being natural, " she said.

Splenda has just over 50 percent of the U.S. market for low calorie

sweeteners, based on dollar volume, according to data collected by

IRI and made available to Reuters by McNeil.

It is used in products which include Kool-Aid Jammers 10 tropical

Punch drink, produced by Kraft Foods.

" Obviously, any organization that represents the sugar growers of the

world would like to have people know what they are buying when they

are buying a sweetener, " said Dan Collister, attorney at Squire,

and Dempsey, acting for the Sugar Association.

Separately, the Texas Consumer Association said on Monday it had

asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate the Splenda

marketing campaign.

" With consumers across the country concerned about their health and

trying to eat more natural foods, it is alarming that McNeil is

engaged in an underhanded campaign to confuse consumers into

believing Splenda is natural, " commented Haverlah, president

of the Texas Consumer Association.

Haverlah said she was working with the Consumer Federation Network

and was not associated with the groups bringing suits against Splenda.

No one from Merisant was available for comment. "