BPOM investigates Beeru Stevia following claims of undeclared sweeteners

The Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) is testing samples of Beeru Stevia after social media reports alleged the product contains artificial sweeteners and calories not listed on its packaging. The claims were raised by the influencer Dokter Detektif, whose independent laboratory tests reportedly found the presence of sucralose and neotam.

BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar stated that the agency will summon the influencer to clarify the source and methodology of the data. Ikrar noted that product sampling and testing cannot be determined by a single source or laboratory alone. In response to the controversy, Beeru Indonesia has temporarily suspended sales of the product.

BPOM clarified that under Regulation Number 11 of 2019, sweeteners are categorized into natural and artificial types. Permitted natural sweeteners include sorbitol, isomaltitol, manitol, maltitol, laktitol, silitol, eritritol, thaumatin, and steviol glycosides. While steviol glycosides are natural and calorie-free, they are subject to an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0–4 mg/kg of body weight per day. Permitted artificial sweeteners include acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, sucralose, and neotam.