One of the world’s largest candy companies, Mars Inc., “is breaking ranks with other food companies and denouncing an industry-funded paper that says global recommendations on limiting sugar are based on weak science,” says Associated Press. A company spokesman told the AP the paper makes all industry-funded research look suspect and does not help consumers make healthy choices on food.
The World Health Organization says adults and children should limit “free” sugar to less than 10 percent of their daily calories to reduce the risk of obesity and tooth decay. In March 2015, the WHO strongly recommended the target “be adopted as policy in most situations.” By “free” sugar, WHO means sweeteners added to food and drink during processing and food preparation and the sugar naturally present in honey, syrup, fruit juice and juice concentrates.
The paper, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, drew criticism because of the vested interests of its funders. Mars was a member of the group that funded the study, the International Life Sciences Institute. Spokesman Matthias Berninger “said Mars was not a driving force for the paper and would make clear to ILSI from now on that it does not support such work,” said the AP.