Lawmakers seek stricter oversight of artificial sweeteners

By Glazyl M. Jopson

QUEZON CITY — The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has committed to issuing a new sugar order to regulate the entry of artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes, following discussions during a House Committee on Agriculture and Food hearing here on Wednesday.

Negros Occidental 5th District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo III said in a media interview after the hearing that the number and varieties of artificial sweeteners entering the market have expanded beyond high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and premixes.

He emphasized the need for regulation, citing its significant impact on local farmers.

“At least now we have a commitment from the SRA to issue a corresponding sugar order to regulate it. I hope it can come out sooner,” Yulo said.

He noted that sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and saccharin, among others, should be covered by regulatory measures.

The Department of Health is expected to be invited to the next hearing to discuss the potential health hazards of artificial sweeteners.

SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the agency has yet to regulate artificial sweeteners but has established a monitoring system to ensure accurate reporting.

“We need to craft a new policy for this particular group of sweeteners,” Azcona said during the hearing when asked by lawmakers about the SRA’s action on artificial sweeteners.

He recalled that the issue was previously discussed during a sugar industry public consultation held in Talisay City, Negros Occidental last month, where stakeholders gathered to address the continued decline in millgate sugar prices in the province and its impact on producers, workers and rural communities.

Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Manuel Frederick Ko also asked during the hearing whether the SRA had already regulated artificial sweeteners.

The agency clarified that it issued a policy on sugar substitutes in 2025 primarily to gather accurate importation data.

“We have not made a policy on artificial sweeteners. We were previously advised by the Committee to make a policy on it, and currently it is being studied,” Azcona said.

Azcona said the SRA has submitted to the committee a list of actual importers of artificial sweeteners.

Records show peak import volumes of nearly 1,700 metric tons for four types of purely artificial sweeteners, including acesulfame potassium, aspartame, sucralose and saccharin. The four types already represented an equivalent of almost 500,000 metric tons.

Other sugar types such as glucose, HFCS and dextrose, among others, reached around 380,000 metric tons, bringing the combined total to approximately 750,000 to 830,000 metric tons.

The inquiry stems from House Resolution No. 373, filed on Oct. 13, 2025, by Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez, urging the committee, along with the Committees on Trade and Industry, Labor and Employment, and other relevant panels, to investigate the sharp decline in millgate prices of locally produced sugar and its adverse economic impact on producers and laborers.

Benitez stressed that the crisis in the sugar industry is not caused by a single factor but by multiple compounding issues.

Among these is the weakening demand for locally produced sugar due to the widespread use of artificial sweeteners and chemical substitutes, which are often cheaper and more potent than natural sugar.

The Philippines is one of the largest sugar-producing countries in Southeast Asia, with Negros Occidental accounting for more than half of national production. The sugar industry supports an estimated 700,000 workers and their families across the country.

In a separate media interview, Benitez said the next hearing will invite traders, importers and industry partners who were absent in the recent session.

The committee’s findings and recommendations will be consolidated into a report and translated into legislative measures, subject to action by both the House and the Senate.

However, Congress can only recommend actions to the executive branch, and amendments may be pursued either through the SRA or Malacañang.

“We will commit to push for this,” Benitez said, while acknowledging that the SRA must further address the concerns raised by stakeholders in the sugar industry.

“It does not just end here. We want to hear directly from importers and industry partners to determine whether import volumes match local production, demand, and consumption,” he added.

The recent hearing was led by Quezon province 1st District Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga as committee chairperson.

Also present were Negros Occidental 6th District Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, former Gov. Lito Coscolluela, and representatives of various sugar groups.