Aspartame in thousands of foods, reduced-calorie beverages, calorie-conscious lifestyle

OVERVIEW

Discovered in 1965, aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener with a sugar-like taste but is approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose. aspartame is unique among low-calorie sweeteners in that it is completely broken down by the body to its components – the amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and a small amount of methanol. These components are found in much greater amounts in common foods, such as meat, milk, fruits, and vegetables, and are used in the body in the same ways whether they come from aspartame or common foods.

Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied food ingredients ever, with more than 200 scientific studies confirming its safety. In 1981 aspartame was approved for use in tabletop sweeteners and various foods and dry beverage mixes, making it the first low-calorie sweetener approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in more than 25 years. In 1983, FDA approved aspartame for use in carbonated beverages followed by a number of other product category approvals over the next 13 years, leading to a general use approval in foods and beverages in 1996. In addition to FDA, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Union (SCF), and regulatory agencies in more than 100 countries have reviewed aspartame and found it to be safe for use.

Today, aspartame has established itself as an important component in thousands of foods and beverages and is primarily responsible for the growth of the low- and reduced-calorie market in the last two decades. Consumer research shows that low- and reduced-calorie foods and beverages have become part of the lifestyle of millions of men and women who want to stay in better overall health, control their weight, or simply enjoy the many low- or reduced-calorie products available. Aspartame has helped provide calorie-conscious consumers with a wide variety of good-tasting, low- and reduced-calorie products that are easily incorporated into a healthful lifestyle. Its excellent taste and suitability for a wide variety of products make it an appropriate choice for people who desire a sweet taste without all the calories of sugar. Currently, aspartame is found in more than 6,000 products and is consumed by over 200 million people around the world.

Copyright © 2012 Calorie Control Council
The Calorie Control Council, a non-profit association established in 1966, seeks to provide an
objective channel of scientific-based communications about low-calorie foods and beverages, to
assure that scientific and consumer research and information is made available to all interested parties.