The Ministry of Health pays special attention to sugar consumption in the community because it is at risk of causing various diseases. However, the halalness of sugar is also an equally important perspective. In this case, The Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics (LPPOM) pays special attention to the halal certification of raw materials such as sugar to facilitate the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) halal certification process for final products.
Cases of kidney damage and diabetes easily attack children and adolescents and cause side effects that quickly attract public attention. One of the causes is thought to be consuming foods and drinks high in sugar, both packaged and fast food.
The official website of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) of the Republic of Indonesia (RI) shows that excessive consumption of sugar, salt, and fat is the leading cause of the increase in non-communicable diseases (PTM), such as diabetes and obesity. Based on the Basic Health Research (Riskesdas), the prevalence of obesity in the population aged 18 years and over increased from 15.4% in 2013 to 21.8% in 2018.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) noted that the prevalence of diabetes in children increased rapidly, namely 70 times from 2010 to 2023. IDAI reported that 1,645 children in Indonesia suffered from diabetes, with a prevalence of 2 cases per 100,000 children. Of that number, 60% were girls, and most were aged 10-14.
Safe Limits for Daily Sugar Consumption
International Halal Partner LPPOM, Pertiwi Putri Utami, S.Gz., highlighted the importance of paying attention to the limits of sugar consumption. “According to WHO, added sugar consumption should not be more than 10% of total daily energy. Excess sugar consumption in the long term can cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke,” she said.
For adults with an energy requirement of 2,000 calories per day, the maximum sugar consumption limit is 50 grams or around 4 tablespoons. Meanwhile, the average maximum for children is 2-3 tablespoons per day, depending on age. This limit is also the basis for the Indonesian Ministry of Health.
“As an illustration, the majority of one sachet of packaged drinks contains 15 to 25 grams of sugar, some even up to 38 grams. So you can imagine, one consumption in a day has taken more than half of the daily sugar consumption limit. In fact, this has not been added to the consumption of several other dishes that most likely also use sugar, at least as a flavoring. It is not surprising that the increase in blood sugar occurs quickly and easily causes disease,”
Therefore, Pertiwi invites the public to control sugar consumption and implement a healthy lifestyle to protect the younger generation from the threat of disease and create a healthier and more productive society. This starts with being wise and careful when choosing products.
Specifically, regarding sugar consumption, Pertiwi emphasizes paying attention to the following three things when choosing a product. First, check the nutritional information and sugar content on the packaging label. Second, understand the composition because there are various other names for sugar, such as sucrose, fructose, or corn syrup. Finally, use sugar in moderation and avoid excessive consumption.
Sugar Manufacturing Process and Critical Points
In addition to the health aspect, the halal element must also be considered in relation to sugar. To understand this, Pertiwi explained that sugar is a carbohydrate group used as a food industry sweetener. “Sucrose sugar, which is most often used, is commercially obtained from plant materials such as sugar cane or sugar beet,” she explained.
The sugar manufacturing process consists of five main stages, including:
- Harvesting: sugar cane is harvested and milled to produce liquid sap.
- Cooking and filtering: the sap is separated from dirt.
- Thickening and crystallization: the sap is concentrated to produce sugar crystals.
- Purification: this process uses activated carbon or ion exchange resin to remove residual dirt.
- Drying: produces dry crystal sugar that is ready to use.
“However, this crystal sugar is not completely pure. Further purification is usually needed to ensure that there are no remaining impurities on the surface of the sugar crystals,” explained Pertiwi, a halal auditor. He continued that the critical point of halal sugar lies in the purification process, especially the auxiliary materials used, such as activated carbon and ion exchange resin.
Activated carbon generally comes from plants, charcoal, or animal materials such as bones. Meanwhile, ion exchange resin sometimes uses gelatin, which can also come from animals. All materials derived from animals must be ensured to go from halal animals that are slaughtered according to Islamic law.
Therefore, supervision of the halalness of these materials is very important to ensure that the sugar products consumed are in accordance with halal standards. Halalness must be verified through a third party, the Halal Inspection Body (LPH), and proven by a halal product certificate.
In this case, LPH LPPOM continues to strive so that all upstream products or raw materials, such as sugar, have halal certificates. With the halal certification of these raw materials, various final products can also be more efficiently certified halal. LPPOM opens a discussion room through the Customer Care service at Call Center 14056 or WhatsApp 0811-1148-696. In addition, business actors can also explore the flow and process of halal certification by attending the Introduction to Halal Certification (PSH) class, which is held routinely on the 2nd and 4th week of each month https://halalmui.org/pengenalan-sertifikasi-halal/. (YN)
