Aspartame Information Service: Scientific information about aspartame

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is aspartame?

Aspartame, is a low calorie sweetening ingredient. It is made from two building blocks of protein just like those found naturally in many everyday foods such as meat, fish, cheese, eggs and milk. Aspartame is digested by the body in exactly the same way as these other protein foods and so does not bring anything new to the diet.

What does aspartame taste like?

Aspartame tastes like sugar and has no bitter aftertaste. This means that foods containing aspartame enable us to enjoy the same sweet taste as sugar, but in a healthier diet.

What kind of products contain aspartame?

Aspartame is used in almost 5000 products around the world, of which more than 2000 are in Europe. Aspartame can be found in a wide variety of food products including:

Beverages: Carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, fruit drinks, squashes, iced teas and coffees and hot chocolate drinks.

Dairy products: Yoghurts, dairy desserts and fromage frais.

Confectionery: Chewing gum, sweets, chocolate, breath mints.

Table-top sweeteners: Tablets and spoon-for-spoon powders.

Frozen desserts: Ice cream and frozen snacks.

Powdered products: Powdered soft drinks, milkshake mixes, and multivitamin drinks.

Cereals: Cereal mixes, mueslis.

Preserves: Fruit preserves, canned fruits.

Pharmaceuticals: Effervescent tablets, chewable tablets and sachets.

What is the E-number for aspartame?

The E-number for aspartame is E-951. The 'E' before the number indicates that an ingredient has been approved for use within the European Union and the number itself denotes the specific ingredient. An E-number is confirmation that a food ingredient is safe. Rigorous tests must be carried out before an ingredient is granted an E-number and, following their acceptance, ingredients can be reviewed at any time.

What is the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for aspartame?

The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for aspartame is 40mg per kg of bodyweight. The ADI of a food ingredient is defined as the amount you can eat or drink every day for an entire lifetime without experiencing any adverse effects. Expert panels of scientists review all of the available scientific data on an ingredient and agree on the maximum dietary level that can be safely consumed. This figure is then divided by 100 to reach the ADI. To consume the ADI of aspartame, an average person of 70kg would have to drink just over 5 litres of a drink sweetened only with aspartame.