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Food additive · Sweetener

Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)

E-number
E950
CAS
55589-62-3

A high-intensity sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, usually blended with aspartame or sucralose.

  • Food additive
  • Non-nutritive sweetener
  • Ultra-processing marker
  • Expert review pending
Moderate concern Level 2 of 4 How concern levels work

Strong evidence of harm at high intake, emerging evidence of harm, or a common allergen or irritant. The concern level sets how many points acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) costs on a product’s receipt.

What the evidence says

  • Heart or metabolic health (emerging)Emerging evidence

    In the NutriNet-Santé cohort, acesulfame-K intake was associated with higher cancer risk; cause and effect is not established. [1]

  • Low concernStrong evidence

    EFSA (2025) set an acceptable daily intake of 15 mg/kg body weight and found exposure generally below it. [2]

  • Heart or metabolic health (emerging)Emerging evidence

    WHO (2023) recommends against using non-sugar sweeteners to control body weight (conditional recommendation); US dietary guidelines advise limiting them. [3][4]

Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.

Rules around the world

WhereStatusDetailsDateSource
United States Permitted Permitted as a sweetener (21 CFR 172.800). — [5]
European Union Permitted Permitted (E 950); re-evaluated by EFSA in 2025. — [2]
Canada Permitted On Health Canada's List of Permitted Sweeteners. — [6]

“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.

Popular products that list acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)

487 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list acesulfame potassium (Ace-K). The 12 most scanned:

Diets and allergens

Vegan
Yes
Vegetarian
Yes
Gluten-free
Yes

For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.

Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (24)
  • e950
  • ace k
  • acesulfame
  • acesulfame k
  • acesulphame k
  • sweetener e950
  • acesulfame potassium
  • acesulfame potassique
  • acesulphame potassium
  • acesulfame k sweetener
  • sweetener acesulfame k
  • acesulfame de potassium
  • sweeteners acesulfame k
  • acesulfame k and aspartame
  • acesulfame k and sucralose
  • acesulfame potassium ace k
  • acesulfame potassium sucralose
  • acesulfame potassium sweetener
  • sweetener acesulfame potassium
  • acesulfame potassium and aspartame
  • acesulfame potassium and sucralose
  • acesulfame potassium an artificial sweetener
  • acesulfame potassium non nutritive sweetener
  • acesulfame potassium a non nutritive sweetener

Sources

  1. Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study

    PLOS Medicine · Mar 24, 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “In this large cohort study, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame and acesulfame-K), which are used in many food and beverage brands worldwide, were associated with increased cancer risk.”

    doi.org

  2. Re-evaluation of acesulfame K (E 950) as food additive (plain language summary)

    European Food Safety Authority · Apr 30, 2025 · Agency assessment

    “The acceptable daily intake (ADI) considered safe for all population groups was set at 15 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  3. WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control in newly released guideline

    World Health Organization · May 15, 2023 · Agency assessment

    “The recommendation is based on the findings of a systematic review of the available evidence which suggests that use of NSS does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children.”

    who.int

  4. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  5. 21 CFR 172.800 Acesulfame potassium

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Mar 24, 2023 · Law

    ecfr.gov

  6. 9. List of Permitted Sweeteners (Lists of Permitted Food Additives)

    Health Canada · Feb 25, 2025 · Regulator

    “A.3 Aspartame n/a (a) Breakfast cereals (a) Sweetener (a) 5,000 ppm n/a”

    canada.ca