Ministry Bans Sweeteners in Fruit Juices
· GıdaTarım
A new draft regulation prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will completely ban the use of sweeteners in fruit juices, including concentrated and powdered products, while introducing new standards for reduced-sugar products.
Sweetener Ban in Fruit Juices
With a new draft regulation opened for industry stakeholder feedback by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the use of sweeteners in fruit juices, including concentrated, puree, and powdered products, is being completely banned. Article 6 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Draft Regulation, detailing the specifics of the regulation, states:
"The use of sweeteners shall not be permitted in the production of fruit juice produced from concentrate, fruit juice, fruit juice concentrate, fruit juice powder, fruit juice extracted with water, fruit juice with reduced natural sugar, fruit juice produced from concentrate with reduced natural sugar, and fruit juice concentrate with reduced natural sugar, as defined in Article 4 within the scope of this Regulation."
With the newly established rules, sweeteners will henceforth only be allowed in fruit nectars that are either unsweetened or low-energy.
New Standards for Reduced Sugar
This legislative effort, conducted within the framework of alignment with European Union legislation, introduces new standards in the fruit processing industry. The regulation, prepared based on data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, defines products obtained by reducing the natural sugar content by at least 30% while preserving the product's natural structure, as official definitions within the legislation. This establishes a legal framework for new product types with reduced natural sugar in the processed fruit juice category, while imposing stricter rules on the use of additives.