Sweeteners in food – Selected questions and answers
BfR FAQ, 14 July 2023
Sweeteners are food additives. They are used in many processed foods, such as soft drinks, confectionery and dairy products, as calorie-free or calorie-reduced alternatives to sugar. As food additives, sweeteners are subject to an authorisation procedure within the European Union (EU) according to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. One requirement for authorisation is that they do not present any health risk. They must also generally be declared in the list of ingredients on the packaging of foodstuffs. 19 sweeteners are currently authorised in the EU. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has summarised below questions and answers on the subject.