European Commission Approves New Artificial Sweetener Advantame

HAMBURG, Germany - July 3, 2014 - PRLog -- Commission Regulation (EU) No 497/2014 of 14 May 2014 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council and the Annex to Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 as regards the use of Advantame as a sweetener and authorizes the use of Advantame in several categories of food, including confectionery, chewing gum, breakfast cereals, bakery products, flavored drinks, soups and sauces.

Advantame – New High-Intensity Artificial Sweetener

Advantame is claimed to be 37,000 times sweeter than sucrose and is described as a derivative of the contentious sugar alternative aspartame. An application was submitted to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2010 for Advantame’s approval, which was granted 3 June 2014. The approval followed an EFSA scientific opinion from the Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) last year.  The European Commission (EC) said there is a 'technological need' for the use of Advantame as a high-intensity sweetener in various food and tabletop products "in order to replace caloric sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.) thus allowing for a reduction of the caloric content of those foodstuffs." Advantame will be classified and indicated on labels as E 969, and has a precautionary ADI (adequate daily intake) of 5 mg/kg bodyweight/day set out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

US FDA Assessed Advantame as Safe for Use in Food

On 19 May 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) announced Advantame is safe for use as a general-purpose sweetener and flavor enhancer in food, except meat and poultry. Advantame has been approved in the US for use in baked goods, non-alcoholic beverages (including soft drinks), chewing gum, confections and frostings, frozen desserts, gelatins and puddings, jams and jellies, processed fruits and fruit juices, toppings, and syrups.

References:

- Commission Regulation (EU) No 497/2014 (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CE...)
- EFSA - Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources (www.efsa.europa.eu/de/efsajournal/pub/3301.htm)
- CFSAN Constituent Update (http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm...)

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