Xylitol, also called 'wood' or 'birch sugar', has been known about and used as a sugar alternative for many years

The word comes from the Greek word 'xyl' meaning wood, as in xylophone, as it was first extracted from birch trees after the Second World War, when sugar was in short supply

Today xylitol is used around the world, by millions of people, as an alternative to sugar and is a naturally occurring sweet tasting substance that looks and tastes just like sugar, but has various healthy benefits. Xylitol is found in a whole host of plants and fruits, such as raspberries, plums and strawberries, and is even made in small amounts by the human body, but...

not all xylitol is the same.

There are different qualities of xylitol available and different natural sources it can be made from. The xylitol used in Total Sweet is of the highest possible quality, comes from sustainably sourced European birch and beech wood and is always GMO free.