WESTCHESTER, ILL. – Ingredion Inc. has joined a consortium that seeks to gain approval of allulose, a “rare sugar,” as a food ingredient in Europe and the United Kingdom. Cosun Beet Co., Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. and Samyang Corp. also belong to the Allulose Novel Food Consortium.
Allulose already is authorized as a food ingredient in other countries, including the United States, Japan, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea. The US Food and Drug Administration in 2019 ruled allulose did not count as a carbohydrate, sugar or added sugar on the Nutrition Facts Label of products because it is metabolized by the body in a different way than table sugar.
A single, joint, proprietary European Union (EU and UK) novel food application could accelerate the approval process, according to the consortium, which now will petition for the exemption of allulose from sugar labeling in the EU/UK market.
“Formation of the Allulose Novel Food Consortium is an exciting step forward towards accelerating more widespread use of allulose in Europe,” said Shigehiro Hayashi of Matsutani Chemical and the ANFC. “With our members’ combined knowledge and expertise in the science of healthy food and beverage ingredients, we aim to enable allulose to reach its true potential and recognize that this could help in achieving a reduction in calorie intake — a major public health initiative.”
“Rare sugars” are so named because they are found in nature in small quantities. Ingredion offers allulose under the Astraea brand name.