> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Letter to Editor: European "Fructose Health Claim" as of 2014 - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/european_fructose_health_claim_as_of_2014_1015130534/ - Published: 2013-10-15T18:30:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-15T14:00:35.000Z - Description: A reader's letter pointing out that the European Union approved a health claim, effective 2014, for foods substituting fructose for glucose or sucrose, and objecting that it ignores fructose's metabolic effects at typical intakes. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Letter to Editor, Opinion, #vivvo-import Dear FoodConsumer.org! You just brought a shocking news article yesterday on the health risks of fructose: [http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/ Food/high\_fructose\_corn\_syrup\_neuron\_deaths\_ 1012131146.html](https://www.foodconsumer.org/high%5Ffructose%5Fcorn%5Fsyrup%5Fneuron%5Fdeaths%5F1012131146/) Do you know what is even more shocking? The European Union indeed approved a "**health claim**" for this very fructose as of 2014!! How come? Based on a 2011 health claim approval by the **European Food Safety Authority**([http://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/efsajournal/pub/2223.htm](http://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/efsajournal/pub/2223.htm?ref=foodconsumer.org)), manufacturers who substitute at least (!) 30% of glucose or sucrose with fructose can claim as of 2014 that “Consumption of foods containing fructose leads to a lower blood glucose rise compared to foods containing sucrose or glucose.” (EC 536/2013: [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:160:0004:0008:EN:PDF](http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:160:0004:0008:EN:PDF&ref=foodconsumer.org)). Therefore, "Since the EU’s game-changing step, validating fructose benefits, the industry’s attention has focused with increased urgency on the opportunities presented by incorporating non-GMO crystalline fructose into different food and beverages products", according to crystalline fructose producer Galam ([http://www.ingredientsnetwork.com/main-content/full/efsa-fructose-approval-brings-opportunities-says-galam](http://www.ingredientsnetwork.com/main-content/full/efsa-fructose-approval-brings-opportunities-says-galam?ref=foodconsumer.org)). While this "health claim" may be technically correct (if considering the immediate glycaemic response after a meal or drink), it is **fatally misleading**, as it completely ignores the devastating metabolic effects caused by fructose already at "moderate" amounts typically consumed today (see references). Indeed, based on the scientific evidence linking fructose to the metabolic syndrome, the**German Federal Agency for Risk Assessment** (BFR) issued a **warning** already back in 2009 that diabetics should avoid products containing added fructose.[http://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/349/increased\_intake\_of\_fructose\_is\_not\_advisable\_for\_diabetics.pdf](http://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/349/increased%5Fintake%5Fof%5Ffructose%5Fis%5Fnot%5Fadvisable%5Ffor%5Fdiabetics.pdf?ref=foodconsumer.org) In the same year, the **American Heart Association** publicly called for a drastic reduction in sugar consumption, explicitly mentioning the adverse metabolic effects of fructose ([http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/120/11/1011.full.pdf](http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/120/11/1011.full.pdf?ref=foodconsumer.org)). Since then, the scientific evidence against fructose became **ever more compelling**. For instance, Stanehope (2011) concluded: "The results suggest that the specific effects of fructose, but not of glucose and insulin excursions, contribute to the adverse effects of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages on lipids and insulin sensitivity." Furthermore, neurological research not only demonstrated the significant **addictive potential** of fructose (based on dopamine signaling induced by its sweetness), but also linked it to modern neurological diseases such as **Alzheimer's** and the attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (**ADHD**), by now the number one performance killer in European schools (see references). Moreover, **media attention and public awareness** of the serious health dangers of fructose (consumed as sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup or free fructose) is rapidly increasing in Europe and internationally. Just last week, Canadian CBC aired a very well researched, shocking documentary on "The Secrets of Sugar", explicitly mentioning the metabolic threat posed by fructose: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDaYa0AB8TQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDaYa0AB8TQ&ref=foodconsumer.org) In September, the British Guardian newspaper ran a major article warning from the health dangers induced by fructose, including excessive drinking of fruit juices:[http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/07/smoothies-fruit-juices-new-health-risk](http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/07/smoothies-fruit-juices-new-health-risk?ref=foodconsumer.org) . Still earlier, the New York Times published a major article on the health risks of sugar, also focusing on fructose: [http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?ref=foodconsumer.org) . Hence, at this point, the promotion of a "health claim" for fructose would be an **outright scandal.** Thus, you may want to cover this completely absurd decision by the EU or get in touch with European Food Safety Authority EFSA, asking them what their idea was and whether they can't recall that "health claim" and rather issue a "health warning" against fructose (and sugar in general). After all, the long-term health of 400 million Europeans, especially children and youths, will be affected by this decision. Kind regards, A concerned European citizen (no commercial affiliations or interests)