Food additive databaseAdds sweetnessChecked 2026-09-27
Aspartame アスパルテーム
Food additiveSimilar rules abroadIARC 2B
- Purpose
- adds sweetness (about 200 times sweeter than sugar)
- On the label
- “甘味料（アスパルテーム・L-フェニルアラニン化合物）” (sweetener (aspartame, L-phenylalanine compound))
Flagged additives are marked when you use the Ingredient Checker (choose others).
In Japan
- For people with phenylketonuria, there is a rule to add “L-フェニルアラニン化合物” (L-phenylalanine compound) to the label.
Under stricter rules abroad
Category: Similar rules abroad
- In 2023, IARC classified it as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (2B). At the same time, JECFA left the ADI (40 mg per kg of body weight per day) unchanged.
- The EU also permits it as E951, with the same ADI as Japan.
Related pages
Sources
- Food Labeling Standards (Cabinet Office Ordinance No. 10 of 2015) (Japanese)
- JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives) database
- IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer): agents classified
Last checked 2026-09-27. Rules change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.
The categories are not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies.