The following is a list of publicly available regulatory assessments of the safety of low-calorie sweeteners.
Regulatory Safety Assessments of Low-Calorie Sweeteners*
The acceptable daily intake (ADI) for a food additive, expressed on a body weight basis, is “the amount of a food additive that can be taken daily in the diet, even over a lifetime, without risk.” (JECFA, 1975)
The ADI values for various sweeteners, as determined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada are summarized in the table that follows.
Worldwide Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) Values for Common High-Intensity Sweeteners: WHO, FDA and Health Canada Examples
Sweetener | Sweetness Relative to Sugar¹ | JECFA³ | FDA¹ | Health Canada⁴ |
ADI (mg/kg body weight) | (mg/kg body weight) | (mg/kg body weight) | ||
Acesulfame K | 200x | 0-15 | 15 | 15 |
Advantame | 20,000x | 0-5 | 32.8 | 5 |
Alitame | 2000x² | 0-1 | NA | NA |
Aspartame | 200x | 0-40 | 50 | 40 |
Cyclamate | 30x² | 0-11 | NA | 11 |
Monk Fruit Extract | 100-250x | NS | NS | 3ᵃ |
Neotame | 7,000-13,000x | 0-2 | 0.3 | 2 |
Saccharin | 200-700x | 0-5 | 15 | 5 |
Stevia | 200-400x | 0-4 | 4 | 4 |
Sucralose | 600x | 0-15 | 5 | 8.8 |
ᵃ Monk fruit extract (Luo Han Guo) has a temporary ADI. |
References:
- Except where noted: US Food and Drug Administration. 2018. Additional information about high-intensity sweeteners permitted for use in food in the US. Accessible at: https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodadditivesingredients/ucm397725.htm. Accessed September 12, 2018.
- Nabors, L. O’Brien. 2016. In Alternative Sweeteners: An Overview, 4th edition, 1-9. New York: Marcel Dekker.
- World Health Organization, Joint FDA/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. 2018. Evaluations of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. Accessible at: http://apps.who.int/food-additives-contaminants-jecfa-database/search.aspx?fc=66. Accessed September 11, 2018.
- Personal communication, Food Directorate, Health Canada, November 16, 2018.
IAFNS intends to keep this resource up to date. If there is a document from a government agency or international health/science organization that you believe should be included, please submit the document to science@iafns.org for consideration.
*IAFNS does not endorse the statements of these organizations; they are provided for informational purposes only.