ICBA Africa on advancing evidence-based dialogue on low- and no-calorie sweeteners across Africa
With nutrition and healthy diets top of mind for many across Africa, sugar reduction is often a particular public health priority. Iddah Asin, International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA) Africa Executive Director, shares her perspectives.
A series of roundtables held across South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, and Nigeria brought together industry associations, the International Sweeteners Association, and local stakeholders to discuss the evidence surrounding low- and no-calorie sweeteners. These discussions aimed to advance evidence-based dialogue on how these sweeteners can fit into countries' nutrition goals and evolving food policy environments.
International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA) Africa's Iddah Asin participated in these events, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based policymaking, collaborative stakeholder engagement, and evidence-informed nutrition and food policy approaches across Africa. The roundtables featured regulators, scientists, public health experts, and beverage industry representatives, each contributing to discussions on the latest evidence regarding low- and no-calorie sweeteners' safety and benefits.
ICBA Africa, representing the non-alcoholic beverage industry on the continent, participates in such dialogues to promote responsible marketing, reformulation, and balanced diets. Low- and no-calorie sweeteners are crucial in this conversation as they offer consumers options to manage sugar and calorie intake while enjoying their preferred tastes, with extensive safety studies supporting their use.
Roundtables like these facilitate direct stakeholder engagement with comprehensive evidence, countering misinformation and misconceptions. Key takeaways highlighted the necessity of balanced, evidence-led nutrition policies focused on public health outcomes and the need for broader consumer education on nutrition and food ingredients.
ICBA Africa stressed the importance of evidence informing Africa's food policy for effective regulation and empowered consumer choices, expressing gratitude to all participants for their commitment to evidence-based dialogue in shaping nutrition policy across the continent.
Written by urgent.news from Africa Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
