Sweeteners
ingredient
About
Sweeteners are a functional class of food additives rather than a single substance: Annex I point 1 of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 defines them as substances used to impart a sweet taste to foods or in table-top sweeteners, and each member carries its own E number, from the polyols at E 420 to advantame at E 969.[1] Sugar is not one of them, because Article 3(2)(a)(i) places monosaccharides, disaccharides and oligosaccharides, and foods containing them used for their sweetening properties, outside the definition of a food additive.[1] A food made with one has to say so on the front: its name is accompanied by "with sweetener(s)".[2]
Group 2 of the Union list, Annex II Part B of the same regulation, holds the sweeteners authorised in the European Union. In the consolidated text as it stood on 18 August 2026 they are sorbitols (E 420), mannitol (E 421), acesulfame K (E 950), aspartame (E 951), cyclamates (E 952), isomalt (E 953), saccharins (E 954), sucralose (E 955), thaumatin (E 957), neohesperidine DC (E 959), four steviol glycoside entries — from Stevia (E 960a), from fermentation (E 960b), enzymatically produced (E 960c) and glucosylated (E 960d) — neotame (E 961), salt of aspartame-acesulfame (E 962), polyglycitol syrup (E 964), maltitols (E 965), lactitol (E 966), xylitol (E 967), erythritol (E 968) and advantame (E 969). The amendment markers on those four entries attribute E 960a and E 960c to Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1156, E 960d to Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/447 and E 960b to Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/652.[1] Great Britain took the regulation over as retained law, and the point-in-time text published by legislation.gov.uk for 31 December 2020 still carries the steviol glycosides as one entry, E 960.[3] The Food Standards Agency list for Great Britain splits them into E 960a, from stevia, E 960b, from fermentation, and E 960c, enzymatically produced, and records that E 960d, glucosylated steviol glycosides, was authorised by Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/447, published on 1 March 2023 and in force from 20 March 2023, for Northern Ireland but not for Great Britain.[4]
The law divides the class in two. The polyols — sorbitols, mannitol, isomalt, maltitols, lactitol, xylitol, erythritol and polyglycitol syrup — are singled out by Annex III of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, which requires a food with more than 10 % added polyols to carry "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects"; the intense sweeteners, acesulfame K through advantame, carry no such particular, save that a food containing aspartame or the salt of aspartame-acesulfame must declare a source of phenylalanine. That same annex is where the class shows on a pack: "with sweetener(s)" beside the name of the food, or "with sugar(s) and sweetener(s)" when added sugar is present too.[2] A preparation of permitted sweeteners sold to the final consumer as a substitute for sugars is a table-top sweetener, which Article 3(2)(g) of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 defines separately and which may carry other additives and food ingredients as well.[1]
Each substance keeps its own page, with its own E number, and the vegan, vegetarian and allergen values belong there rather than here: the members range from synthetic molecules to substances extracted from plants, so no single value holds across the class and vegan and vegetarian are recorded here as maybe.
Classes of this ingredient
Products (186)
Includes products that name the classes Acesulfame K, Sorbitols, Sucralose, Sorbitol, Sorbitol syrup.
Brisk Iced Tea Lemon 2 L Brisk · 2 l Tea - Liquid/Ready to Drink 012000202377 
Brisk Lemon Iced Tea 24 × 12 fl oz cans Brisk · 288 floz Tea - Liquid/Ready to Drink 012000202360 
Brisk Lemon Iced Tea 6 × 16.9 fl oz bottles Brisk · 101.4 floz Tea - Liquid/Ready to Drink 012000811203 Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi 12 fl oz can Pepsi · 12 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000004940 Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi 12 × 12 fl oz cans Pepsi · 144 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000810039 
Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi 12 × 355 mL Pepsi · 4260 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 069000204283 Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi 20 fl oz Pepsi · 20 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000001215 Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi 6 × 16.9 fl oz Pepsi · 101.4 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000005145 
Co-op Sparkling Peach Flavour Spring Water 1 litre Co-op · 1 l Packaged Water - Flavoured 5000128648738 
Coca-Cola Light 1.5 l Coca-Cola · 1.5 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5449000000484 
Coca-Cola Light 1.5 l Coca-Cola · 1.5 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5449000053565 
Coca-Cola Light 330 ml Coca-Cola · 330 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5449000050205 
Coca-Cola Light Taste 330 ml Coca-Cola · 330 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5000112545340 
Coca-Cola Light Taste Caffeine Free 250 ml Coca-Cola · 250 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5449000228123 
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 2 l Coca-Cola · 2 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5449000669902 
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 330 ml Coca-Cola · 330 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5000112637939 
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 330 ml Coca-Cola · 330 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 6415600515566 
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 330 ml can Coca-Cola · 330 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5449000131805 
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 500 ml Coca-Cola · 500 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 57045405 
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 500 ml Coca-Cola · 500 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5449000131836 
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 6 x 16.9 fl oz Coca-Cola · 16.9 fl_oz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 049000045840 
Coca-Cola light 500 ml Coca-Cola · 500 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 5000112548167 Crest Baking Soda & Peroxide Whitening with Tartar Protection Fresh Mint 6.4 oz Crest · 181 g Dental Cleansing/Toothpaste 037000320241 
Diet Coke 500 ml Coca-Cola · 500 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 54491496 Diet Mountain Dew 1 L Mountain Dew · 1 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000003189 Diet Mountain Dew 12 fl oz Mountain Dew · 355 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000001666 
Diet Mountain Dew 12 × 12 fl oz Mountain Dew · 4.26 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000809972 Diet Mountain Dew 13 fl oz Mountain Dew · 384 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000251207 Diet Mountain Dew 16 fl oz Mountain Dew · 473 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000030406 
Diet Mountain Dew 2 L Mountain Dew · 2 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000007460 
Diet Mountain Dew 20 fl oz Mountain Dew · 20 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000001345 
Diet Mountain Dew 24 fl oz Mountain Dew · 24 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000033148 
Diet Mountain Dew 6 × 16.9 fl oz bottles Mountain Dew · 101.4 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000107351 
Diet Mountain Dew 7.5 fl oz Mountain Dew · 222 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000163180 
Diet Pepsi 1 L Pepsi · 1 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000171758 
Diet Pepsi 1 L Pepsi · 1 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 069000010631 Diet Pepsi 1.25 L Pepsi · 1.25 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000140938 
Diet Pepsi 1.25 L Pepsi · 1.25 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000171734 
Diet Pepsi 1.25 L Pepsi · 1.25 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 4060800302014 Diet Pepsi 1.5 L Pepsi · 1.5 l Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000173608 Diet Pepsi 10 × 12 fl oz cans Pepsi · 120 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000111013 Diet Pepsi 12 fl oz Pepsi · 12 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000008054 
Diet Pepsi 12 x 330 ml Pepsi · 330 ml Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 4060800106025 Diet Pepsi 12 × 12 fl oz cans Pepsi · 144 floz Drinks Flavoured - Ready to Drink 012000161063 Relations
- Not to be confused with Sugars in European Union[1] sourcedArticle 3(2)(a)(i) puts monosaccharides, disaccharides and oligosaccharides, and foods containing them used for their sweetening properties, outside the definition of a food additive, so sugar, honey and syrups are covered by that page, not this class
Referenced by
- Kinds include Acesulfame K in European Union verifiedGroup 2 of the Union list, Sweeteners, carries the row for E 950, Acesulfame K
- Kinds include Acesulfame K in United Kingdom sourcedSection 5, Sweeteners, of the Food Standards Agency list of approved additives and E numbers lists E950 Acesulfame K
- Kinds include Sorbitols in European Union sourcedGroup 2 of the Union list, Annex II Part B, carries E 420 Sorbitols among the sweeteners
- Kinds include Sucralose in European Union verifiedGroup 2 of the Union list, Sweeteners, carries the row for E 955, Sucralose; Annex I point 1 of the same regulation defines that functional class as substances used to impart a sweet taste to foods or in table-top sweeteners
- Kinds include Sucralose in United Kingdom sourcedSection 5, Sweeteners, of the Food Standards Agency list of approved additives and E numbers lists E955 Sucralose
References
- ↑ EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, consolidated text of 18 August 2026 Publications Office of the European Union. registry. Published 2008-12-16. Accessed 2026-09-20. Record: 02008R1333-20260818. Article 3(2)(a)(i) and (g); Annex I, point 1; Annex II Part B, group 2.
- ↑ EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers, consolidated text of 1 April 2025 Publications Office of the European Union. registry. Published 2011-10-25. Accessed 2026-09-20. Record: 02011R1169-20250401. Annex III, points 2.1 to 2.4.
- ↑ legislation.gov.uk: Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II Part B, Union list of food additives, as at 31 December 2020 The National Archives. registry. Published 2008-12-16. Accessed 2026-09-20. Record: 1333/2008. Part B, group 2 Sweeteners.
- ↑ Food Standards Agency: Approved additives and E numbers Food Standards Agency. registry. Accessed 2026-09-20. Section 5, Sweeteners.
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