Artificial & Intense Sweeteners — Complete E-Number Guide
Artificial & Intense Sweeteners are food additives (E900–E999) that sweeten foods with fewer or zero calories than sugar. They are found in many everyday foods including diet soft drinks, sugar-free gum, desserts, yoghurts and low-calorie foods. This guide covers every artificial & intense sweetener E-number with its safety, vegan and halal status at a glance.
| E-Number | Name | Safety | Vegan | Halal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E420 | Sorbitol | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E421 | Mannitol | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E950 | Acesulfame K | Some Concerns | Yes | Halal |
| E951 | Aspartame | Some Concerns | Yes | Halal |
| E952 | Cyclamate | Banned/Restricted | Yes | Halal |
| E953 | Isomalt | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E954 | Saccharin | Some Concerns | Yes | Halal |
| E955 | Sucralose | Some Concerns | Yes | Halal |
| E957 | Thaumatin | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E959 | Neohesperidine DC | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E960 | Steviol Glycosides | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E961 | Neotame | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E962 | Salt of Aspartame-Acesulfame | Some Concerns | Yes | Halal |
| E965 | Maltitol | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E966 | Lactitol | Safe | No | Halal |
| E967 | Xylitol | Safe | Yes | Halal |
| E968 | Erythritol | Safe | Yes | Halal |
What do artificial & intense sweeteners do?
Additives in the artificial & intense sweeteners group sweeten foods with fewer or zero calories than sugar. Without them, many everyday products would spoil faster, separate, lose texture or look unappetising — which is why they appear in so many ingredients lists. Every additive in this table has been through EFSA's authorisation process, but as the safety column shows, "authorised" doesn't always mean "concern-free": some carry conditions, warnings or ongoing debates, and each entry links to a full breakdown.
Checking labels for artificial & intense sweeteners
On UK and EU labels these additives appear with their function and E-number or name — for example "artificial & intense sweetener: E420". Tap any E-number in the table for its complete profile: what it is, where it's found, whether it's safe, and its vegan, vegetarian, halal and palm-oil status.
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Additive data sourced from Open Food Facts (ODbL licence) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).