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SweetenerINS 950
E950

Acesulfame K

What you need to know

Acesulfame potassium is an intense sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is heat-stable, so it is used in baked and cooked products as well as drinks.

It is often blended with other sweeteners to round out the taste. Regulators in all major markets consider it safe at permitted levels.

It is not broken down by the body and passes through unchanged.

Where it stands, by region

The same additive can be approved in one country and banned in another. This is the divergence that matters most.

🇦🇺AU / NZApproved
Permitted (FSANZ Food Standards Code).
🇪🇺EUApproved
Permitted; under routine re-evaluation programme.
🇺🇸USApproved
Permitted (FDA).
🇨🇦CAApproved
Permitted (Health Canada).

Health evidence

How settled the science is for each area — not how dangerous. “Unknown” means not enough good studies yet.

Hyperactivity & behaviour
Unknown
Allergy & intolerance
Unknown
Gut microbiome
Suspected
Metabolic effects
Suspected
Carcinogenicity
Unknown
Cardiovascular
Unknown

Potassium salt of 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H)-one 2,2-dioxide. ADI 9 mg/kg bw/day (EFSA).

Synthesis: SyntheticADI 9 mg/kg bw/day