Ads for the artificial sweetener, Splenda, imply that it is a natural product. The line, “Splenda No Calorie Sweetener is made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar”, is a point of contention. The Sugar Association characterizes Splenda’s ad campaign as misleading. “Johnson & Johnson is misinforming consumers about the reality of the chlorinated product Splenda. We feel the public needs to be aware that Splenda is an artificial chemical sweetener. Splenda is created with chlorine, and the final product does not have sugar in it,” said James Murphy, counsel for the Sugar Association.
Splenda, or sucralose, is made by reacting sugar with chlorine. Critics argue that the end product may be similar to other chlorinated hydrocarbons (other examples of chlorinated hydrocarbons include insecticides). Critics express concern that sucralose may be stored in the body, like these other chlorinated hydrocarbons. Johnson and Johnson claim that the product passes through the body without being absorbed and liken the chlorine in sucralose to the chlorine in salt.
Sucralose is a new product. Canadawas the first country to approve its use in 1991. It was approved by the FDA for sale in the United States in 1998. There have been very few studies examining the safety of sucralose and, since it is a new product, there are no long-term studies regarding the safety of the product.