High intensity sweeteners or sugar substitutes add sweetness to many beverages and foods to help those who need to reduce sugar consumption. Aspartame has been one of the most studied and reviewed sweeteners in the human food supply.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to evaluate and review scientific data and they continue to find no safety concerns about aspartame when used under approved conditions. Other regulatory and scientific authorities, such as Health Canada and the European Food Safety Authority, also agree with these findings.
Other sugar substitutes approved for use include Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K), Sucralose, Neotame, Advantame, and Saccharin. Additionally, three plant and fruit-based high-intensity sweeteners approved by FDA include certain steviol glycosides, extracts from monk fruit, and thaumatin.
How sweet are these sweeteners compared to table sugar? This chart from FDA shows the sweetness intensity.
How many packets of sweeteners can a person consumer safely? This chart from FDA shows the number of sweetener packets a person would need to consume each day to reach the acceptable daily intake (ADI) level. The ADI is the amount of a substance considered safe to consume each day over the course of a person’s lifetime.
Learn more at https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/aspartame-and-other-sweeteners-food