- 1. What is Equal made of?
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Equal uses a unique combination of ingredients to ensure it has a great sugar-like taste and does not leave the bitter aftertaste commonly associated with some sweeteners.
Aspartame is the main sweetening ingredient in equal sachets and tablets, it is composed of two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, which are found naturally in protein containing foods, including meats, grains and dairy products. Your body digests these components in exactly the same way as it would digest them from these other sources.
Equal Spoon for spoon is formulated with aspartame and Ace-K, like aspartame, Ace-K is approximately 200 times sweeter than real sugar. Ace-K is not metabolised by the body, it is rapidly absorbed and then excreted unchanged.
Additional ingredients are added to Equal to make the very concentrated sweetener easier to dissolve and enhance the flavour of the food and drink. All ingredients are approved food additives that can be safely added to food and beverages.
- 2. Is Equal safe?
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Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly tested food ingredients ever used in our food. Extensive research, including more than 200 toxicological and clinical studies during the past 30 years, has clearly confirmed the safety of aspartame.
Most recently, as a result of anecdotal reports and allegations, several regulatory agencies and expert scientific committees, including Health Canada, the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission, the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency and the French Food Safety Agency, decided to conduct thorough reviews of aspartame's safety and the latest research findings. All of these agencies concluded once again that aspartame is safe.
In April 2006; Five-year government funded, epidemiology study from National Cancer Institute (US) re-confirmed safety of aspartame. The Conclusions are also supported by the finding of three recent animal studies conducted by the US National toxicology program.
The results indicated that there was no evidence of carcinogenic activity (cancer) of aspartame.
In May 2006; European Food safety Authority (EFSA) re-confirmed the safety of aspartame. Comprehensive review of Ramazzini study demonstrated no scientific evidence of aspartame and cancer link. The EFSA panel concluded, “there is no need to further review the safety of aspartame nor to revise the previously established Acceptable Daily Intake for aspartame”.
Ace-K is also entirely harmless. It has been tested extensively before being approved by the USFDA and the World Health Organisation. Ace-K has a long history of safety and is currently used in thousands of products in more than 70 countries.
Special groups:
- People with phenylketonuria (PKU).
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PKU is a rare inherited disease affecting the body's ability to metabolise the amino acid phenylalanine. Clinical manifestations of PKU can be prevented by early detection. For this reason, routine screening for PKU at birth is required by law in Australia and many other countries. Individuals with PKU must be placed on a carefully constructed phenylalanine-restricted diet from birth. They usually remain on such a diet until adolescence. Women with PKU who have abandoned the diet in adolescence must return to this diet prior to conception. This is to ensure they do not develop and sustain high levels of phenylalanine that could adversely affect the foetus. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid. It is necessary for growth and development and is obtained from protein containing foods.
Phenylalanine constitutes approximately half the aspartame molecule by weight. Equal contributes small quantities of phenylalanine when compared with other protein foods. However, people with PKU do need to consider this as an additional source of phenylalanine and should consult their dietician or doctor regarding its use. To inform people who need to restrict dietary phenylalanine, all products containing aspartame need to carry an information statement such as "Contains Phenylalanine".
- Pregnant and lactating women
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No review or publication has reported any epidemiological or experimental data that indicates aspartame ingestion during pregnancy is not safe, and current obstetric practice allows pregnant women to use aspartame without fear of injury to the developing foetus.
- Children
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Children consume proportionally larger amounts of all food ingredients than adults in relation to their body size. However given the volume of aspartame required to reach the acceptable daily intake (see Q.10) it is unlikely that a child would consume this amount. Even if they did, aspartame is completely safe for use in children and there is no compelling evidence of any adverse experiences1. It's important to note that Equal is not intended for consumption by very young children who need increased kilojoules for rapid growth.
- References:
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1. Leon, AS. 1996. Tolerance in Healthy Adults and Children. In: Tschanz C, Butchko H, Stargel W, Kotsonis F (eds.). The Clinical Evaluation of a Food Additive. pp 127-136. New York, CRS Press.
For the latest news on aspartame safety visit the below links:
www.aspartame.org/aspartame_latest.html
www.isabru.org/index.html
- 3. Is Equal safe for those with diabetes?
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The American Diabetes Association and Diabetes Australia consider aspartame, the sweetener in Equal, an acceptable sugar substitute and a safe part of a meal plan for a person with diabetes1. The FDA has approved Ace-K as safe for all segments of the population without restriction.
Reference: 1. American Diabetes Association. Statement regarding aspartame 1999 (refer www.diabetes.org)
- 4. Is Equal lactose-free?
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Equal Spoon for Spoon and Equal Sachets are lactose free. Equal Tablets contain lactose (from milk).
(1) Based on the scientific findings reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, most lactose maldigesters can tolerate the amount of lactose contained in a glass of milk, especially if consumed with a meal.
A person would have to consume 192 Equal tablets to get the same amount of lactose as a cup of milk. This is equivalent in sweetness to 192 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of tea/coffee.
Reference and scientific support: (1) Allaying fears and fallacies about lactose intolerance. JADA. 98:671-676. 1998
- 5. Is Equal gluten-free?
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Equal is gluten-free. Maltodextrin - the bulking agent used in Spoon for Spoon is an easily digested carbohydrate made from natural corn starch.
- 6. Does Equal have a GI Index?
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Equal does contain a very small amount of carbohydrate. However, this amount is insignificant and Equal does not fit into the category of carbohydrate foods1.
References: 1. www.glycemicindex.com
- 7. Is Equal GMO free or suitable for vegetarians?
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Equal products do not contain and are not manufactured from any genetically modified organism. Equal products are suitable for vegetarians, however, Equal tablets contain a small amount of lactose (from milk). This may not be viewed as suitable by the vegan society.
- 8. Is Equal Halal?
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Equal products are free of BSE, pork or other ingredients prohibited by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and FSANZ.
- 9. Does Aspartame cause allergic reactions?
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Several well-controlled studies investigating aspartame as a potential allergen have consistently failed to detect any reproducible adverse effects of aspartame ingestion1.
References: 1. Ling C, Zacks M, Geha R. 1996. Evaluation of Allergic-Type Reactions. In: Tschanz C, Butchko H, Stargel W, Kotsonis F. (Eds.) The Clinical Evaluation of a Food Additive. pp 267-274. New York, CRS Press
- 10. Is there a maximum safety level for Aspartame intake and what is the acceptable daily intake (ADI)?
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Virtually any food or food ingredient, if consumed in sufficiently large quantities, may produce potentially harmful effects. In assessing the safety of a food ingredient, it is necessary to take into account the probable consumption levels of the ingredient and to compare those levels to consumption levels which might be injurious to human health. This has been done with aspartame and its principal metabolites - phenylalanine, aspartate and methanol. The data demonstrates that there is a very substantial margin of safety for aspartame and its metabolites beyond any reasonable consumption level projected for a normal human being. The joint FAO/WHO Expert committee on Food Additives (JECFA) introduced the concept of an "Acceptable Daily Intake" (ADI) in 1961. The ADI is the dose, if consumed on a daily basis over a lifetime, would cause no adverse effects. The ADI is generally based on studies used to determine the no-observed-effect-level (NOEL) for the additive. The NOEL is usually divided by 100 to determine the ADI for the additive. This provides a 100-fold safety factor, which can account for different individual responses.
|
Equal Spoon for Spoon (g) |
Equal Tablets |
Equal Sachets |
| 20kg child |
31 |
44 |
22 |
| 70kg adult |
110 |
156 |
77 |
The table above shows the approximate servings of Equal sweetened with aspartame and Ace-K that individuals would need to consume every day to reach the ADI2, (an acceptable daily intake throughout a lifetime).
For further information please go to these websites www.aspartame.org and www.aspartamearchives.org
References: 1. Butchko H and Kotsonis F 1996. Acceptable Daily Intake and Estimation of Consumption. In: Tschanz C Butchko H, Stargel W, Kotsonis F, (Eds). The Clinical Evaluation of a Food Additive. Pp43-53. New York, CRS Press. 1996. 2. International Food Information Council. www.ific.org
- 11. Can Equal Spoon for Spoon be used for cooking and baking?
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Yes.
As well as being a sweetener and flavour-enhancer, sugar performs a number of important functions in the baking process. Equal Spoon for Spoon does not always work in the same way as sugar, so we suggest you use the recipes developed in the Equal kitchen and follow the below baking tips:
- Equal Spoon for Spoon works best in recipes where sugar's primary role is for flavouring and sweetening, e.g. fruit pie fillings, cheesecakes, quick breads, slices. For added sweetness it is great sprinkled on top of cakes and desserts.
- The baking time for recipes where sugar has been replaced with Equal Spoon for Spoon will generally be less.
- Equal Spoon for Spoon can replace sugar in exact volume-for-volume quantities, however the weights are different (1 cup sugar = 220g and 1 cup Equal Spoon for Spoon = 24g).
- 12. Why have you changed the formulation of Equal and why is it now being manufactured in Thailand?
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As we have had the same product on the market for 25 years, due to overwhelming customer feedback, we moved back to our previous formulations. This formulation brings same taste with a smoother flavour. From an individual sensory perception a limited number of valued customers have observed a slight difference in the taste profile.
The new manufacturing site in Thailand is a Swiss based company and is a leading manufacturer's of pharmaceutical, health care and food products and it meets the stringent international Quality & Safety standards.
If you have any further questions relating to our sweeteners that we have not answered please go to the contact us section and we will reply to your query as soon as possible.