Sweeteners in Foods

January 29/Seattle/KING 5 -- A new study finds that a majority of packaged food (75%) contains sweeteners, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina.

The study, published in The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, focused on how sweeteners are used in the American food supply.

Researchers examined over 85,000 uniquely formulated foods and found that 68% use caloric sweeteners; 1% used non-caloric sweeteners; and 6% used both caloric and non-caloric sweeteners. Added sweeteners are different from naturally occuring sugars.

Researchers found that caloric sweeteners are used in more than 95% of cakes, cookies and pies, granola, protein and energy bars, ready-to-eat cereals, sweet snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages, while noncaloric sweeteners are used in more than 33% of yogurts and sport/energy drinks. Noncaloric sweeteners are also used in 42% of waters (plain or flavored), and most dietetic sweetened beverages.

The most commonly listed sweeteners were corn syrup, sorghum, cane sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and fruit juice concentrate.

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