"Izvestia" found harmful sweeteners on sale in stores

In Russia, sugar substitutes and "diet" desserts based on them are produced by bakeries and chemical industry enterprises, Izvestia found out in the course of its own investigation. Synthetic substitutes are mixed and passed off as a super useful product.

Almost all known world varieties of sugar substitutes are represented in Russia: erythritol, saccharinates, cyclamates, aspartame, sucralose, fructose, isomalt, maltitol, xylitol and others. Forms are liquid, tablets, and powder. They are added to protein cookies and bars, eco-friendly marmalade and syrups with a fat-burning effect. Such products can now be found in any supermarket.

"Izvestia" under the guise of dessert manufacturers visited several such production facilities and suppliers. It turned out that sweeteners are sold literally tons of them and it is not difficult to buy them on the Web.

The marketing strategy is built on the idea of the benefits of substitutes. At the same time, Yuri Shatalov, the plant's general director, in a conversation with Izvestia, called the benefits of most superfoods a legend that allows them to make a profit. In his opinion, 90% of the products sold as useful are "pseudo-ZOZH".

Read more in the exclusive material of Izvestia:

ZOZH at the throat: Russians are being sold "chemistry" under the guise of healthy superfoods