Sugar Producer

  www.SugarProducer.com  29 Real sugar's functional roles in candy recipes include flavor, bulk, texture, shelf life, color and moisture retention saturated fat beyond the small amounts found in nutrient- dense forms of food and beverages within the pattern, to consume more than the recommended amount of a food group, or for alcoholic beverages." It is worth noting that added sugars consumption has declined significantly in the past two decades, falling more than 30 percent since 2000, while obesity rates increased more than 40 percent during the same period. The DGAC reported that average added sugars consumption is currently only 66 calories away from meeting the 10 percent recommendation. MOVING FORWARD The flaws in the DGA process have weakened the credibility of the DGAs over time, damaging their ability to guide U.S. nutrition policy and reducing their value to the Americans who look to the DGA as the authoritative voice for healthy eating decisions. Concern over the credibility and trustworthiness of the process is evidenced by the 38,000 public comments on the Scientific Report of the DGAC, an increase of nearly 10,000 over the previous report. While science prevailed this time in rejecting a more restrictive recommendation for added sugars that would have lacked scientific underpinning, it is apparent the DGA process lacks the consistency and scientific rigor that is expected and needed to ensure the federal government's nutrition recommendations are based entirely and consistently on the use of credible science and strong scientific methodology. We will continue to work with the federal agencies, nutrition experts and a wide array of stakeholders to seek meaningful reform of the DGA process, so that the recommendations are objective, transparent and reflective of the scientific evidence. Ultimately, this reform is necessary for the DGAs to be more trusted, more meaningful for consumers and more impactful toward achieving a healthy lifestyle for millions of Americans. Including the comments on the DGAC report, the Sugar Association submitted eight sets of public comments throughout the 2020-25 DGA process, as well as 11 studies for the DGAC to consider in their review. Ensuring science and facts about sugar are part of the policy and future conversations is essential to our mission. n The FDA defines added sugars as those sugars that are added to foods during processing or sugars packaged for consumers to add to foods and beverages on their own (like table sugar, brown sugar, pancake syrup, etc.). Added sugars do not include naturally occurring sugars that are found in milk, fruits, and vegetables or low and non-caloric sweeteners. "A healthy dietary pattern limits added sugars to less than 10 percent of calories per day. Added sugars can help with preservation; contribute to functional attributes such as viscosity, texture, body, color, and browning capability, and/or help improve the palatability of some nutrient- dense foods." —2020-25 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

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