Sweeteners (Food & Drink)

What is a sweetener - a sugar replacement with no nutritional value. Usually an additive

Nearly all have some risk, for more information see the Sweeteners (Toxins) article.

Sugar

Naturally occurring, a sugar alcohol.

60–70% as sweet as table sugar, occurs naturally in some fruits (watermelons, pears, and grapes in minimal amounts)

First approved and marketed as a sweetener in Japan in 1990, and in the US in 1997

High doses have a laxative effect

The EFSA daily intake limit to 0.5 grams per kg body weight

Naturally occurring, zero calories.

Extracted from the leaves of stevia rebaudiana, a plant native to areas of Paraguay and Brazil.

May still spike insulin.

50-300 times sweeter than sugar.

Approved for use in the EU in 2011.

TL;DR

Sucralose is considered safe, non-toxic and non-carcinogenic.

aka Splenda (but Splenda has bulking agents)

E955 in the EU

Safe but probably best not to cook with it

Only slightly less calories than sugar: 3.3 per gram (but you need far less as it's so sweet)

600 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) 3 times sweeter than aspartame 2 times sweeter than saccharin

Created:

Last Updated: 2026-09-17