A lobby group representing Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull, Dabur and Tetra Pak, among others, is of the view that recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on non-sugar sweeteners are “not scientifically rigorous.”

WHO had said non-sugar sweeteners such as aspartame and stevia do not help in weight loss, while increasing risk of certain diseases. Health groups had called for ‘restrictive use only’ messages on all foods and drinks with artificial sweeteners.

A senior Indian Beverage Association (IBA) executive who didn’t want to be named said, “It is a disservice to public health to not recognise the role of low or no-calorie sweeteners in reducing sugar intake” amid a global obesity crisis. “IBA has been engaging with concerned authorities in the country to seek their alignment for a favourable policy regime in this regard,” he said.

WHO recommendations should have been based on the comprehensive set of available evidence, the person said. “WHO could only conclude a conditional recommendation, which is not scientifically rigorous, nor based on a robust evidence base,” the executive said.

Other large food and beverage companies including Britannia, Paper Boat, Parle Agro, Bisleri, ITC, Mondelez and Tata NourishCo are listed as “associate members” on the beverage association’s website.

Sales of diet colas, ice-creams, juices, breakfast cereals, confectionery and no-sugar cooking alternatives have been growing in double digits, a trend that accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic as consumers switched to low-sugar drinks and foods amid increased health consciousness.On May 15, WHO said its conditional guidelines and recommendations on non-sugar sweeteners are based on available evidence and include all synthetic and natural sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and stevia.

“Replacing free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners does not help with weight control in the long term,” Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, had said in a detailed statement, adding that such sweeteners “are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value.”

The IBA executive said the industry body “would join others, including relevant government agencies who have responded to the public consultation on the draft guidelines, expressing their concerns about the conclusions and rationale used by WHO.”

National foods regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has said a scientific panel is evaluating WHO’s recommended guidelines.

Guidelines and labelling changes that require warnings on products containing non-sugar sweeteners could dent sales of diet foods, according to industry executives. So far, FSSAI doesn’t have specific detailed guidelines on the use of sweeteners in foods and beverages.

According to WHO, the latest norms are part of a suite of existing and forthcoming guidelines on healthy diets. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars’ intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit or unsweetened food and beverages, WHO has said.