Ingredients
Sweeteners
Reducing added sugar isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Low- and no-calorie sweeteners are one of the tools helping make lower-sugar foods and beverages possible, giving consumers more choices without sacrificing the sweet taste they enjoy.
Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners
Low- and no-calorie sweeteners offer consumers options to help reduce sugar and calories in their foods and beverages without sacrificing taste. These ingredients can be used as tabletop sweeteners, and may also be found in chewing gum, candies, ice cream, baked goods, fruit spreads, and canned fruits, fillings and frostings, beverages, and yogurt, . They are also used in toothpaste, mouthwashes, and pharmaceutical products such as cough syrups and throat lozenges.
Low- and no-calorie sweeteners are intensely sweet compounds, which means that they are several hundred times sweeter than table sugar, so only very small quantities are needed to reach the desired level of sweetness to foods and drinks, while contributing very few or no calories at all.
Other Common Names Include
- Non-nutritive sweeteners
- High-potency sweeteners
- Alternative sweeteners
- High-intensity sweeteners
- Sugar substitutes
- Reduced calorie sweeteners
Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners
Click the name of the sweetener to find out more.
Acesulfame-potassium (also known as Ace-K) is a high-intensity, non-caloric sweetener, approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar.
Advantame is a sweetener and flavor enhancer derived from aspartame and vanillin.
Allulose is a naturally occurring sugar found at low levels in figs, raisins, wheat, maple syrup, and molasses.
Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener that is one of the most rigorously studied ingredients in the food supply.
Cyclamate, discovered in 1937, is a non-caloric sweetener approximately 30 times as sweet as sugar.
Erythritol is a naturally occurring compound, zero-calorie bulk sweetener that looks and tastes like sugar.
Monk fruit, also known as lo han guo, is a sub-tropical melon that has been cultivated in the remote mountains of southeast Asia for centuries.
Neotame is a sugar alternative that delivers intense sweetness without the calories.
Polyols are carbohydrates, but they are not sugars, making them sugar-free sweeteners. Polyols are also called “sugar replacers” by nutritionists and health educators.
Saccharin was discovered over a century ago and has been used as a non-caloric sweetener in foods and beverages for more than 100 years.
Stevia rebaudiana is a South American plant native to Paraguay that traditionally has been used to sweeten beverages and make tea.
Sucralose is a zero-calorie sweetener used to reduce or replace sugar in a wide variety of foods and beverages.
Backed by a Long History of Use and Review
Low- and no-calorie sweeteners have been used around the world for more than a century. Saccharin, the first commonly used low-calorie sweetener, was discovered in 1879. Since then, additional sweeteners have been developed, studied, and authorized for use in foods and beverages globally.
1879
Discovery
Saccharin, the first commonly used low-calorie sweetener, is discovered — beginning more than a century of use around the world.
100+
Years of Use
Additional sweeteners are developed and studied for use in foods and beverages across the globe.
Today
Global Authorization
Approved sweeteners are authorized for use worldwide, giving consumers more lower-sugar choices than ever.
Grounded in Safety and Regulatory Oversight
Low- and no-calorie sweeteners have been rigorously evaluated by leading health and regulatory authorities worldwide. These organizations evaluate sweeteners through scientific review and establish conditions of use designed to protect public health.
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