03.09.2026 19:20
With the new communiqué draft prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, significant changes will be made in the production of fruit juices and nectars. According to the draft, the use of sweeteners in fruit juices will be ended, while sweeteners will be allowed in some nectars. The sale of products whose natural sugar content is reduced by 30 percent will also be permitted.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has prepared a draft communiqué to redefine the rules applicable from the production of fruit juices and nectars to their presentation to consumers.
Once the regulation, which has been opened to the opinions of sector stakeholders, is implemented, significant changes will be made to current practices regarding the contents of the products.
THE ERA OF SWEETENERS IN FRUIT JUICES WILL END
If the draft enters into force, the use of sweeteners in fruit juice products in the form of concentrate, puree, or powder will not be permitted. Thus, the use of sweeteners in products in the fruit juice category will be completely eliminated.
CONDITIONAL PERMISSION FOR SWEETENERS IN NECTARS
For fruit nectars, a different practice is envisaged. In nectars without added sugar, the use of sweeteners entirely instead of sugar will be enabled.
In nectars defined as low-energy, replacing a certain portion of the sugar with sweeteners will be allowed.
PRODUCTS WITH REDUCED NATURAL SUGAR CAN BE SOLD
Another notable change in the draft concerns the reduction of the sugar naturally contained in fruit. In line with harmonization with EU legislation, it is planned that fruit juice products whose natural sugar content is reduced by at least 30 percent through special processes can be produced and placed on the market.
The final version of the regulation will become clear after evaluating the opinions and suggestions from sector representatives.