E950 / Glazing agents, gases & sweeteners
Acesulfame K
Safety in brief
Safe
Recorded EatMatrix rating, not a new clinical review. The amount, your sensitivities and country rules still matter.
- Watch for
- No allergen or sensitivity is recorded for this ingredient here. Check the whole product label; this is not an allergen-free guarantee.
- Our advice
- The related drink and whole-diet trials do not give an acesulfame-K-only answer. Use the regulator assessment and the conditions for the product and country alongside the human evidence; a mixed-drink result is not a verdict on every use of E950.
What it is
Acesulfame potassium (Acesulfame K) is a calorie-free artificial sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It's heat-stable, so it holds up in baking and cooking, and is often blended with other sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose to round out the taste. It's found in diet sodas, baked goods, and dairy products, and major food safety agencies, including EFSA and the FDA, consider it safe within an established acceptable daily intake.
Also appears on labels as: E950, E 950, E-950, Acesulfame K, Acesulfame potassium, Ace-K, Artificial sweetener E950, Potassium acesulfame, Acesulfame salt, Acesulfame-K sweetener, Food additive E950, Sweetener (acesulfame K).
Dietary information
- Vegan
- Yes
- Halal
- Yes
- Gluten-free
- Yes
- Allergens
- None recorded
Recorded ingredient information. Check the product label or certification: sources, other ingredients and cross-contact can vary.
Research & body effects
What human studies mean for E950
Weight management: a drink comparison does not isolate this additive
In the SWITCH study, 493 adults started a weight-management programme using water or non-sugar-sweetened drinks; 220 completed 104 weeks. The 2026 report found no statistically significant difference in maintained weight loss between groups. Substantial dropout limits confidence in the estimate.
The drinks predominantly used aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose. Participants could choose and change products, so this was not a test of one isolated ingredient. Earlier reports from the same programme are not independent replications. This weight outcome does not settle every health outcome.
Related beverage trial: water versus sweetened drinks over 104 weeks. Selected main-text methods, results, limitations and declarations read; supplements not fully appraised. Funded by the American Beverage Association; some authors disclose other industry relationships.
Related whole-diet evidence: a benefit and a trade-off
The 2025 SWEET trial compared low-sugar diets that allowed or excluded products with many sweeteners after an initial weight-loss phase. The analysis of 277 adults who reached the initial loss target favoured allowing these products by about 1.6 kg at one year. The difference was not statistically significant when only completers were analysed.
About 40% of recruited adults did not complete the study. The sweetener group reported more abdominal pain, loose stools and gas. Many products and ingredients varied together: neither the weight result nor the symptoms can be attributed to this one additive.
Related whole-diet SWEET trial: weight maintenance and gut symptoms. Selected main-text methods, results, limitations and declarations read; supplements not fully appraised. EU Horizon 2020 funding; several authors disclose food-industry relationships.
EatMatrix’s reading
The related drink and whole-diet trials do not give an acesulfame-K-only answer. Use the regulator assessment and the conditions for the product and country alongside the human evidence; a mixed-drink result is not a verdict on every use of E950.
A practical choice
Compare the whole food and your usual alternative, including free sugars, fibre and how often you eat it. Water or an unsweetened drink is a straightforward option. A sweetener name alone cannot tell you the dose in a serving or predict your personal response.
WHO’s 2023 recommendation against using non-sugar sweeteners for long-term weight control is conditional and excludes people with pre-existing diabetes. It is nutrition guidance, not a country ban or a replacement for an additive safety assessment. Read WHO’s scope and limits.
Selected sources checked . The reading scope is stated beside each source. These are selected findings, not an exhaustive clinical review or a personal diet prescription. Indexed notices were checked where accessible; missing notices do not prove that no correction or later version exists. The research does not by itself change recorded ratings or country permissions. Use the country section for the separate legal question.
Selected research on E950
How to read study types- Regulator reviewEFSA re-evaluation of aspartame-acesulfame salt
Re-checked aspartame and acesulfame K as part of this review. Confirmed aspartame’s safe daily limit of 40 mg per kg of body weight and found no safety concern at current uses for E950, E951 and E962.
- Randomized trialRelated beverage trial: water versus sweetened drinks over 104 weeks
Related mixed-beverage trial: 220 of 493 starters completed 104 weeks. Maintained weight loss did not significantly differ from water. Drinks predominantly used aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose; the study cannot isolate one additive.
- Randomized trialRelated whole-diet SWEET trial: weight maintenance and gut symptoms
Related whole-diet trial favoured sweetener-containing products for weight maintenance in one analysis, but not the completer analysis. Dropout was high and gut symptoms were more frequent. Many ingredients varied together; no individual-additive effect was isolated.
- Regulator reviewEFSA re-evaluation of acesulfame K
Raised the safe daily limit from 9 to 15 mg per kg of body weight. The highest intake estimates were generally below it.
Earlier source summaries checked ; latest additions checked . See the detailed research section for what was read and the remaining limits. This is a selection of sources, not a complete literature review. Authority assessments apply to the uses and places they cover.
Health notes from our ingredient record
- Considered safe within the acceptable daily intake set by EFSA and the FDA; some independent research has raised questions about long-term high-dose effects, but this is not reflected in current regulatory positions.
Other references from our ingredient record
These links come from the original ingredient record. They are separate from the source reviews above and have not all been checked for the exact ingredient, amount consumed or claim. Dates are shown newest first.
- Re‐evaluation of acesulfame K (E 950) as food additive — EFSA Panel on Food Additives, EFSA Journal (2025). Official EFSA scientific opinion (bibliographic reference, imported 2026-10-13). It covers the additive as a group assessment and is not an individual human study; read the opinion for its findings.
Country rules
Country checks for E950
Permission depends on the market, type of food, amount and conditions. A scientific opinion or an E-number alone does not establish a legal use. These checks are separate from the stored EatMatrix rating.
Compare all eight markets and their sources
| Market | What is checked |
|---|---|
| European Union | Regulation (EC) 1333/2008, Annex II Part B, version , contains the exact code E950: Acesulfame K. Listing alone does not allow every food use. Part E food categories, limits, specifications and applicable later acts still need a product-specific check. Source read: . |
| Great Britain | The FSA register record for E950 (Acesulfame K) lists “Authorised” in England, Scotland and Wales. Register updated: 01 April 2025; record checked: . Food-specific conditions and specifications still need a separate legal check. |
| United States | Complete current-use review pending. Any scoped provision in the label guide above applies only to the stated use. FDA explains the applicable food-additive and GRAS framework. |
| Northern Ireland | Review pending. Check the applicable EU rules and territory arrangements; the GB register alone does not establish this status. FSA guidance is a starting source, not a verified permission for this entry. |
| Canada | Named food-use records located. Health Canada lists the preparations below for specified foods and purposes. This is conditional permission for those uses, not approval of every product or a personal safety verdict. Only the named records and conditions below were located. Exact composition and specifications still need matching. Source tables captured . List publication dates are shown separately. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is a condition of use, not an unlimited amount or a recommended intake. Food and Drug Regulations B.16.003 requires the listed source, purpose, amount and other conditions to match. The official consolidation read was current to 21 September 2026; product specifications and applicable later changes still need checking. Read 13 listed food-use conditionsAcesulfame PotassiumHealth Canada: List of Permitted Sweeteners. List published ; item A.1.
EatMatrix reading: match the exact preparation and food first. A manufacturing limit is not an acceptable daily intake (ADI). A label without the amount cannot establish exposure, and an unlisted name here does not establish a ban. |
| Australia | Review pending. Food Standards Code permissions and conditions need an additive-specific check. FSANZ food-additive rules is a starting source, not a verified permission for this entry. |
| New Zealand | Review pending. Food Standards Code permissions and conditions need an additive-specific check. FSANZ food-additive rules is a starting source, not a verified permission for this entry. |
| Japan | Review pending. The relevant list, identity and use standards need an additive-specific check. CAA food-additive lists is a starting source, not a verified permission for this entry. |
Sources & review status
Check what each source covers: an authority’s conclusion, a research finding and a country’s legal permission answer different questions.
What this guide covers
- Selected research
- 4 source summaries, with publication dates and study types. Several publications may describe the same study population.
- Official assessment reference
- EFSA opinion located for E950. Identity and code coverage checked; full findings review pending.
- Original ingredient record
- 1 research link; newest recorded date: . Sources added separately to this guide are not included in this count.
This guide brings together our ingredient record and the dated sources shown here. Missing information describes a gap in this guide; it does not mean an ingredient is untested, safe or harmful. This is not a complete review of every study, preparation or current country rule. The amount in a product and how it is used still matter.
How to read the ratings, research and country checksAgency labels recorded by EatMatrix
These are imported database classifications, not verified current statements from each authority. Use the dated official sources below for their actual scope and conclusions.
| Authority | Database label |
|---|---|
| FDA | Safe |
| WHO | Safe |
| EFSA | Safe |
| FSANZ | Safe |
| Japan | Safe |
| UK FSA | Safe |
An official EFSA assessment for E950
An official scientific opinion covering E950 exists. A missing research link or rating in our database does not mean this additive has never been assessed. This reference identifies the document; it does not replace a review of its findings, later research or current food-use rules.
EFSA: Re-evaluation of acesulfame K (E950)
- Published
- Codes covered by this reference
- E950
- Source type
- EFSA scientific opinion, not an individual human trial
EatMatrix checked this reference’s identity and code coverage on . The full evidence review, an exhaustive check for subsequent publications and corrections, and market-specific permissions remain pending. This does not change the recorded EatMatrix rating above.
Database updated: . What does an E number mean on a food label?
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is EatMatrix's recorded rating for E950?
The recorded EatMatrix rating for E950 (Acesulfame K) is “Safe”. It is calculated from labels stored in our ingredient database. These labels are not verified current regulator decisions or country permissions. A database update date is not a scientific review date.
Is E950 vegan, halal or gluten-free?
According to our ingredient data for Acesulfame K — vegan: yes, vegetarian: yes, halal: yes, kosher: yes, gluten-free: yes, dairy-free: yes. Manufacturing sources can vary between products; check the label if it matters to you.
What is E950 and why is it used?
Acesulfame potassium (Acesulfame K) is a calorie-free artificial sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It's heat-stable, so it holds up in baking and cooking, and is often blended with other sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose to round out the taste. It's found in diet sodas, baked goods, and dairy products, and major food safety agencies, including EFSA and the FDA, consider it safe within an established acceptable daily intake.
Does E950 contain allergens?
No known allergens are recorded for Acesulfame K.
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This page shows information and classifications recorded in our ingredient database. Current scientific and market-specific verification remains pending as described above. It is general information, not medical advice.