What
is SPLENDA ®
?
SPLENDA is the first and only low-calorie sweetener made from
sugar and is the brand name for the sweetening ingredient
sucralose. It can be used in place of sugar to eliminate or
reduce calories in a broad range of foods, including beverages,
baked goods, desserts, dairy products, syrups, condiments
and processed fruits.
How
is SPLENDA® made?
SPLENDA is made from sugar (sucrose) by a patented process
that replaces three of sugar's hydrogen-oxygen groups with
chlorine atoms. This exchange makes the resulting SPLENDA®
molecule extremely sweet, about 600 times sweeter than sugar,
and extremely stable. SPLENDA is so stable that, unlike other
sweeteners, it will not break down or lose its sweetness when
used in cooking or baking, or when used in beverages, like
carbonated soft drinks, which typically have a high acidity.
SPLENDA is also unable to be metabolized (broken down) by
the body's food-digesting enzymes. This means that SPLENDA
has no calories! And better yet, because SPLENDA is made from
sugar, it tastes like sugar, so SPLENDA®
can be used virtually anywhere sugar is used. Try it in all
your favorite recipes.
Is
SPLENDA® safe?
Yes. SPLENDA has been authorized for use by the FDA
for use by all persons and has been safely enjoyed by millions
of consumers around the world in places like Canada, Mexico,
and Australia. The sweetening ingredient in SPLENDA, sucralose,
is one of the most thoroughly tested food additives in history.
More than 100 studies on the safety of SPLENDA®,
designed to meet the highest scientific standards, have been
conducted and evaluated over the course of 20 years. SPLENDA®doesn't
react with other substances in the body and is not broken
down in the body. It has no effect on insulin or blood glucose
levels and is appropriate for use by anyone wishing to reduce
their caloric or sugar intake. Foods containing SPLENDA®do
not require warning labels or information statements. No one
is excluded from using SPLENDA®.
The safety of SPLENDA® has also been confirmed
by the regulatory agencies in a growing number of countries
around the world. Further, the data from SPLENDA®studies
were independently evaluated by international experts in a
variety of scientific disciplines, including toxicology, oncology,
teratology, neurology, hematology, pediatrics, nutrition and
others. These experts unanimously concluded that SPLENDA®is
safe for human consumption. Importantly, comprehensive toxicology
studies have clearly demonstrated that SPLENDA®does
not cause cancer or any other adverse health effects. As a
result, SPLENDA® is safe even for individuals
who consume large amounts of sweetened products on a daily
basis.
What
advantages does SPLENDA offer versus other sweeteners?
SPLENDA® provides a high quality, sugar-like
taste and is exceptionally stable under a broad range of processing,
product pH, and temperature conditions. These qualities make
it useful as a sugar replacement in virtually every type of
food and beverage, including those previously unavailable
in a good tasting, low calorie form.
Can
SPLENDA be used in cooking or baking?
Yes! SPLENDA can be used in any cooking and baking recipe.
SPLENDA does not lose its sweetness even at the high temperatures
associated with cooking and baking.
Take a look at our SPLENDA®
Recipes
Is
SPLENDA safe for children?
The use of SPLENDA® to sweeten foods and beverages
is not hazardous to a young person's health. One should note,
however, that foods made with low-calorie sweeteners are not
normally a recommended part of a child's diet, since calories
are important to a growing child's body.
Can
pregnant and breastfeeding women consume SPLENDA?
SPLENDA can be used by all individuals, including pregnant
women and breastfeeding mothers. Although SPLENDA may be used
as part of a healthy pre- and post-natal diet, women who are
pregnant or breastfeeding should talk to their doctor or nutritionist
about the kinds of foods to eat to support their health, and
their baby's health, during these special times.
How
low are the calories in SPLENDA?
SPLENDA®, the brand name for the sweetening
ingredient SPLENDA®, has no calories. A two-teasoon
serving of SPLENDA Granular or a single Low-Calorie Sweetener
packet also has very few calories -- so few, that these are
considered equivalent to zero under the FDA's nutrition labeling
regulations.
The small amount of calories in the SPLENDA Granular and
Packet products come from the presence of some common, natural
food ingredients in these products. These ingredients, maltodextrin,
for example, give SPLENDA the necessary bulk so it can be
used like sugar, but with only 1/8 sugar's calories. Both
the Packet and Granular forms of SPLENDA have only 2 calories
per teaspoon, while sugar has 16, and a cup of SPLENDA®
granular has only 96 calories, while sugar has 770. Using
SPLENDA instead of sugar can therefore significantly reduce
the amount of calories, sugar and carbohydrates in many of
your favorite recipes.
Do
I have to count SPLENDA as a carbohydrate or sugar in my meal
plan? (Because
SPLENDA®ends
in "ose", don't I have to consider it a sugar or
carbohydrate?)
No. SPLENDA®, the sweetening ingredient
of SPLENDA, is not recognized by your body as a carbohydrate,
although it tastes like, and is made from, sugar. It is not
broken down by the body and, therefore, has no calories, nor
will it affect your blood glucose levels.
There is a small amount of calories and carbohydrate present
in a single serving of either SPLENDA® Granular
or SPLENDA® Low-Calorie Sweetener Packets (both
equivalent to two teaspoons of sugar), however, the levels
are so small that under the FDA's nutrition labeling regulations
are considered equivalent to zero . Both the SPLENDA Granular
and Packet products have only 1/8 the carbohydrate and calorie
content of sugar. This means that you can use SPLENDA instead
of sugar to significantly reduce the calorie, carbohydrate,
and sugar content in many of your favorite recipes.
What
is the role of SPLENDA in a healthy diet?
SPLENDA may be used as part of a healthy diet which includes
a variety of nutritious foods in moderate portions. Because
SPLENDA® offers the sweet taste of sugar without
all the calories and is ideal for cooking and baking, it helps
meet your demand for good-tasting, low-calorie foods and beverages.
What
types of products might contain SPLENDA®?
SPLENDA can be used to sweeten low-calorie versions of all
food and beverage products. Internationally, over 400 products
ranging from soft drinks to ice cream are sweetened with SPLENDA®.
The FDA has authorized the use of SPLENDA®
as a general purpose sweetener. In addition to all foods,
SPLENDA may now be used to sweeten nutritional supplements,
medical foods, and vitamin/mineral supplements.
Who
manufactures and markets SPLENDA®?
McNeil Specialty Products Company, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Johnson & Johnson, developed and manufactures SPLENDA®for
commercial use. SPLENDA ® is a registered trademark
of McNeil Specialty Products Company. SPLENDA®
is the first product from McNeil Specialty, whose mission
is to develop and market innovative food ingredients that
help consumers control, maintain and improve their health.
