When you read the side of a kids' multivitamin pack, the first word in the ingredient list is often something other than a vitamin. In our vitamin it's xylitol. Sucralose is near the end. Here's what each one does and why they're there.
Why does the ingredient list start with xylitol?
Ingredients are listed by weight, largest first. Vitamins and minerals are needed in micrograms and milligrams, so on their own they can't make a vitamin tablet that holds together. The vitamins need a body.
In Ayaka, that body is xylitol. The pack lists it as a bulking agent: "bulking agent (xylitol)". The other bulking agent is microcrystalline cellulose.
Is xylitol sugar?
No. Xylitol is a polyol, also called a sugar alcohol. Ayaka is sugar-free: it has no sugar at all.
Polyols come with one mandatory statement. When a product has more than 10 % polyols, the pack has to say: "Excessive consumption may produce laxative effects." Our pack says so too. The dose is one chewable tablet a day, and the recommended daily dose must not be exceeded.
What is sucralose?
Sucralose is a sweetener. It makes the vitamin sweet without sugar. That's why the pack says "Contains a sweetener."
Very little sucralose is needed. It's near the end of the ingredient list, so its share is very small.
Is sucralose safe for children?
Sucralose is a sweetener authorised in the EU (E 955). In the EU, every food additive is assessed before approval and given an acceptable daily intake (ADI). That's the amount a person can take every day over a lifetime without a health risk. The ADI for sucralose is 15 mg per kilo of body weight a day. For a 20 kg child, that's 300 mg a day.
The sucralose in a daily dose is a fraction of that. If sucralose safety is on your mind, read what the Finnish Food Authority or EFSA say about sweeteners.
Why no sugar?
A daily supplement doesn't need to be a sweet. We wanted the vitamin to be part of your child's own routine, not a treat. That's why Ayaka has no sugar. The sweetness comes from sucralose. The taste comes from strawberry and vanilla flavourings.
What else is in Ayaka?
Besides the bulking agents and the sweetener, the vitamin has anti-caking agents (silicon dioxide and magnesium salts of fatty acids), strawberry and vanilla flavourings, and 12 vitamins and minerals.
Ayaka is sugar-free, lactose-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, yeast-free and soy-free. It has no colourings. It isn't vegan, because the carrier in the vitamin A ingredient is gelatin.
Why Ayaka?
With Ayaka, your child decorates their own glass jar with stickers. The jar becomes their thing. The idea is that the vitamin becomes a routine your child owns, not something parents have to remind them about. Ayaka has 12 vitamins and minerals. A refill comes through the letterbox once a month.
The full ingredient list is on the product page. To read about other parts of the label, see How to read a kids' multivitamin label.
