Manila, May 14 -- The proliferation of artificial or magic sugar in local markets must be regulated in consideration of consumers' health, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said on Monday.

"Mayroon tayong tinitingnan na high fructose syrup, iyong mga chemical sweeteners. Lahat po pinapatingnan po ng SRA iyon (We are looking at high fructose syrup, those chemical sweeteners. The SRA is looking into all of these). Who regulates it? Ano po iyong (What is the) agency involved? And of course, we want to regulate it as well," SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said in a Zoom interview.

Azcona explained that magic sugar, also known as aspartame, is a chemical compound sweetener commonly used in refresher drinks that may pose health ri...