Sugar industry leaders met with Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Governor Jose Benito Alonso on Tuesday, Jan. 20, to seek the provincial government’s support for the campaign to curb the entry of artificial sweeteners.
The industry is specifically targeting the rise of sucralose, which has significantly dampened domestic sugar consumption among large-scale manufacturers, Sugar Regulatory Administrator (SRA) Pablo Luis Azcona said.
Azcona, who was accompanied by Sugar Board Member David Sanson and United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) president Manuel Lamata during the meeting at the Capitol in Bacolod City, said artificial sweeteners entering the country are estimated to be equivalent to 750,000 metric tons of domestic sugar valued at P37.5 billion, per crop year.
This is very damaging to the country’s sugar industry, yet the SRA does not have the authority to regulate the entry of artificial sweeteners like sucralose, Azcona said.
Azcona explained that sucralose is currently used by several beverage firms.
Among the other sweeteners that do not require clearance from the SRA are glucose, dextrose, maltodextrin, lactose, maltose, honey, caramel, and flavored syrups, Azcona said.
“We noticed that our domestic sugar demand has been rather flat for more than five years. We’ve noticed that since 2022, there has been an increase in the use of other sugars and—worse—artificial sweeteners that are purely chemical,” Azcona said.
“This is very damaging to the industry in the sense that it replaces real sugar”, he said.
Lacson said he will issue a statement on artificial sweeteners within the week, noting that the public must be made aware that these substances are being used by beverage manufacturers.
“It affects the economy, and the biggest concern is health… we will raise our concern,” Lacson said.
Alonso added that they will study what specific actions they can take regarding the influx of artificial sweeteners.
Lamata said he was happy that the governor listened to their urgent concern and committed to take action.*