Sugar or stevia? What expert bodies say about sugar and sweeteners

Sugar or stevia? The expert bodies do not provide a simple answer – but they do offer clear guidelines. For free sugars, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommend an upper limit of less than 10 per cent of energy intake; for a daily intake of 2,000 kcal, this amounts to a maximum of 50 g. For sweeteners such as stevia, there is a recommended daily intake, and the WHO advises against using them for weight control. This guide categorises both – and highlights a third option.

Sugar, sweetener, stevia: the terms

• Free sugars are monosaccharides and disaccharides that manufacturers or consumers add to food, as well as the sugar found in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.
• Sweeteners are food additives. A distinction is made between sweeteners and sugar substitutes.
• Sweeteners are virtually calorie-free and can be 30 to 37,000 times sweeter than table sugar.
• Sugar substitutes such as erythritol provide an average of around 2 kcal per gram, whilst erythritol provides none at all; in large quantities, they have a laxative effect.
• Stevia is the plant Stevia rebaudiana. Its leaves contain sweet-tasting steviol glycosides; only the extract – the steviol glycosides with the code E 960 – is authorised as a sweetener. The herb itself is not permitted as a foodstuff in the EU – with the exception of tea blends.

A comparison of sugar and sweeteners

What the WHO says about sugar

Since 2015, the WHO has recommended that adults and children limit their intake of free sugars to less than 10 per cent of their daily energy intake; keeping it below 5 per cent – that is, around 25 g or six teaspoons – would bring additional benefits. One of the reasons given for this is that a lower intake of free sugars reduces the risk of being overweight and of tooth decay. Sugar found in fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as the sugar naturally present in milk, is not covered by this recommendation.

The DGE, the German Obesity Society and the German Diabetes Society endorsed this recommendation in 2018 – as an upper limit, not as a recommended intake.

What the WHO says about sweeteners

In May 2023, the WHO published guidelines on sweeteners. It advises against using sweeteners to control body weight or reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases. This is based on a systematic review of studies: according to this, sweeteners offered no long-term benefit in terms of reducing body fat, and long-term use could have adverse effects, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults.

Important for context: The WHO classifies this recommendation as ‘conditional’ because the observed association may be skewed by characteristics of the study participants. It applies to everyone except those with existing diabetes – and explicitly includes stevia and stevia derivatives. Sugar substitutes such as sugar alcohols are not covered.

What the EFSA and the Consumer Advice Centre say about stevia

An acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 4 mg per kilogram of body weight, calculated as steviol equivalents, applies to steviol glycosides. In 2024, the European Food Safety Authority assessed a proposal to increase this limit but found that there was insufficient justification for doing so. Steviol glycosides are authorised for use in 32 food categories.

The Consumer Advice Centre points out that children, in particular, are likely to reach and exceed the ADI limit due to their low body weight – especially through soft drinks sweetened with stevia. According to the Consumer Advice Centre, the EFSA has confirmed that steviol glycosides are safe, provided that the maximum levels are adhered to.

And what about the ‘natural’ image? Steviol glycosides are extracted from the plant via a multi-stage chemical process; the Consumers’ Advice Centre therefore classifies the sweetener as an industrial product – just like refined sugar. Due to its slow-onset sweetness and its liquorice-like, bitter aftertaste, it is usually combined with other sweeteners or sugar. Advertising claiming health benefits of stevia is not permitted on food products.

Where stevia is found

According to the Consumer Advice Centre, steviol glycosides are found primarily in low-calorie products – such as soft drinks, jams, yoghurts, ketchup, sweets, liquorice and chocolate – and in table-top sweeteners, whether in powder, liquid or tablet form. The sweetener is only authorised for use in conventional foods; it is therefore not found in organic products.

It’s worth taking a look at the ingredients in ‘stevia sweetener’: calorie-containing substances such as maltodextrin or table sugar are often used as fillers, whilst some manufacturers use erythritol.

Are sweeteners more harmful than sugar?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this, and none of the specialist organisations cited here provide one. Here is a comparison of their positions:

• There is a clear upper limit for free sugars – less than 10 per cent of total energy intake.
• Authorised sweeteners may only be used in certain foods and within specified maximum limits, so that the ADI is not exceeded.
• The WHO does not recommend sweeteners as a means of weight control.

We take a closer look at individual sweeteners such as aspartame in the fact-check ‘Are sweeteners carcinogenic?’, whilst an overview of all authorised sweeteners can be found under ‘Sweeteners’.

The third option: flavour without sweetness

The WHO itself suggests a third approach: people should reduce the overall amount of sugar in their diet, ideally from an early age, and opt for unsweetened foods and drinks. The DGE recommends water or other calorie-free drinks, such as unsweetened tea, as the best choice of drink.

This is exactly where our flavoured varieties come in: Pink Grapefruit, Lime & Mint, Citrus and Energy – Blackcurrant & Pomegranate contain 0 g of sugar per 100 ml and, according to the list of ingredients, no sweeteners; the flavour comes from natural flavourings. The article ‘Natural Flavourings’ explains how ‘natural flavouring’ is defined. The reason why ‘zero’ drinks usually contain sweeteners is explained under ‘Zero Drinks’.

Identifying sweeteners on the label

• The list of ingredients includes sweeteners listed under the category ‘sweeteners’, followed by their name or E number.
• If a food product contains sweeteners, the packaging must also state ‘contains sweetener(s)’.
• Steviol glycosides are designated as E 960.
• The sugar content is shown in the nutritional information table under ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g or 100 ml.

Find out more in the guide ‘Sugar-free without sweeteners’.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. World Health Organisation (WHO): WHO calls on countries to reduce sugar intake among adults and children, 4 March 2015. who.int
2. World Health Organisation (WHO): WHO advises against the use of non-sugar sweeteners for weight control in newly published guidance, 15 May 2023. who.int
3. DAG, DDG and DGE: Consensus paper: Quantitative recommendation on sugar intake in Germany, December 2018. dge.de
4. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF): Scientific opinion on the extension of the authorisation for the use of the food additive steviol glycosides (E 960a–d) and the modification of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for steviol, EFSA Journal 2024, 4 November 2024. efsa.europa.eu
5. Consumer Advice Centre: Stevia – a sugar-free sweetener with a questionable ‘natural’ image, as at 26 August 25. verbraucherzentrale.de
6. Consumer Advice Centre: Sweeteners: What are sweeteners and sugar substitutes?, as at 26 June 25. verbraucherzentrale.de
7. Consumer Advice Centre: Food labelling: What information must be included?, as at 26 March 25. verbraucherzentrale.de
8. German Nutrition Society: It’s best to drink water, accessed 16 September 2026. dge.de
9. ACQUA REAPER: Product labels, as at 26 July.