EUFIC Communication Lab on sweeteners part two : Targeted recommendations for healthcare practitioners

In June 2025, EUFIC convened the second part of its online Communication Lab on sweeteners (See the first one from September 2024 here). Over two sessions, this second Lab brought together experts from across Europe, including healthcare practitioners, nutrition scientists, industry representatives and patient association members to translate the latest science regarding sweeteners into clear, practice‑focused messaging recommendations for healthcare professionals.

Why a Communication Lab on sweeteners targeted at healthcare practitioners?

Sweetener use is consistently dominating headlines while still sparking questions in clinics. Patients are confronted with a swirl of claims, some are grounded in evidence, others based on hype or misunderstanding. Healthcare professionals need concise, evidence‑based tools to convey both benefits and risks of regular sweetener use in everyday conversations. While our first Lab highlighted key knowledge‑to‑practice gaps, this second session was all about reality-checking those gaps, to ensure our final recommendations truly meet the clinicians’ practical needs.

About the Communication Labs

Guided by EUFIC facilitators, each carefully balanced expert group:

• Mapped out obstacles in communicating sweetener science (e.g., patient misconceptions, media sensationalism, lack of scientific literacy, distrust in authorities or industries, etc.),
• Defined priorities for messaging (e.g., distinguishing between sweeteners, warning against the naturalness halo, etc.)
• Designed specific key messages and formats to build trust and clarity (e.g., using relatable analogies, highlighting scientific evidence strength, etc.).
  

Although expert participants will remain anonymous, we are grateful to everyone who generously shared their time and expertise. Thank you for being part of EUFIC’s mission to foster clear, trustworthy communication about nutrition.

Recommendations to come in September

Building on insights from both Communication Labs, EUFIC will publish a concise set of evidence‑based recommendations for healthcare practitioners in September 2025, ensuring that guidance is not only scientifically accurate and based on actual patients’ questions but also resonates with the realities of daily medical consultation practice. These will be freely available on our website. Stay tuned!