Understanding Low/No Calorie Sweeteners in Nigeria’s Evolving Food Policy Landscape

By Laurent Oger, Director General, International Sweeteners Association (ISA)

As Nigeria advances important conversations on nutrition, public health, and food policy, consumers, regulators, and industry stakeholders are increasingly focused on the role different ingredients can play in supporting healthier dietary choices.

A key step in the country’s response to diet-related health challenges is the push for more informed consumer choices. As these discussions continue, it is important that decisions are guided by science and that consumers have access to accurate information about the ingredients used in food and beverages.

Among the ingredients that often attract attention are low/no calorie sweeteners.

So, are they safe?

The answer from food safety authorities around the world is clear: yes. But to understand why, it helps to look at how these ingredients are evaluated and approved.

A rigorous safety approval system

Low/no calorie sweeteners are among the most thoroughly researched ingredients used in the food supply. Before they are permitted for use, they undergo rigorous scientific assessment by independent food safety authorities.

Their safety has been evaluated by organisations including the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and other leading regulatory agencies around the world. These bodies carefully examine the totality of available scientific evidence before reaching conclusions on safety.

As Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) works alongside the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to strengthen nutrition-related policies, maintaining a science-based approach to ingredient evaluation remains essential to ensuring both consumer protection and sound policy development.

Understanding the safety benchmark: the ADI

A key outcome of the scientific evaluation process is the establishment of the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI).

The ADI is a conservative scientific benchmark that represents the amount of an ingredient that can be consumed every day over a lifetime without any appreciable health risk.

To provide a high level of protection, scientists apply a substantial safety margin. The ADI is derived from the highest intake level shown to have no adverse effects in studies and is then divided by a 100-fold safety factor. This approach protects all consumers, including children and pregnant women.

In practice, regulatory authorities also establish permitted levels of use in foods and beverages to help ensure consumption remains well within these safety limits.

Continuous review and re-evaluation

Importantly, food safety does not end with initial approval.

As scientific knowledge evolves, food additives, including sweeteners, continue to be monitored and reassessed. Reviews conducted by international food safety authorities have consistently reaffirmed the safety of commonly used low/no calorie sweeteners when consumed within established guidelines.

Most recently, JECFA’s review of aspartame again concluded that it does not pose a health concern at current levels of exposure and retained the existing ADI.

Supporting consumer choice

The diversity of Nigeria’s food environment necessitates clear, science-based regulations that can help both consumers and manufacturers navigate change with confidence.

As the country’s food and nutrition policy landscape continues to evolve, ensuring that consumers have access to a range of safe products and reliable information will remain important.

The safety of low/no calorie sweeteners is supported by decades of research, extensive scientific review, and ongoing monitoring by food safety authorities worldwide. Understanding this robust system can help consumers navigate nutrition discussions with confidence and make choices that best suit their individual dietary needs and preferences.

As stakeholders, regulators, civil society groups, and the industry continue discussions on nutrition, reformulation, and public health, science-based dialogue and collaboration will remain critical to achieving shared goals of improving diets while preserving consumer choice.