Cologne: The E 962 sweetener, a salt of aspartame and acesulfame used in sugar-free and energy-reduced foods and drinks, does not raise safety concerns at current use levels, the European Food Safety Authority concluded in an opinion published on 10 September 2026. The opinion was adopted in July 2026 at an open plenary meeting of EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings.

The conclusion closes a re-evaluation of the additive. The panel found no safety concerns with the currently reported uses and use levels of acesulfame K (E 950), aspartame (E 951) and the E 962 sweetener. Once swallowed, E 962 breaks down into aspartame and acesulfame, so its safety rests on the two parent compounds.

EFSA reconfirmed the acceptable daily intake for aspartame at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. For acesulfame K, it applied a recently revised value of 15 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. Current exposure estimates for all age groups remain below these limits, which means typical consumers sit inside the safety margin.

The review also shows how EFSA handles related substances together. Because the E 962 sweetener combines two compounds that were already assessed, the panel could read across the evidence on aspartame and acesulfame K, which keeps the three additives on a consistent footing. Consumers who see E 962 on a label can rely on the same exposure logic as for the individual sweeteners.

The assessment followed EFSA’s protocol for hazard identification and characterisation of sweeteners, which went through public consultation in 2019, and its protocol for exposure assessment, which was consulted on in 2020. Using fixed protocols lets the authority treat sweeteners consistently as it works through its re-evaluation programme.

The opinion does not end the paperwork. EFSA recommends updating the EU specifications for the E 962 sweetener so they match the specifications of the aspartame and acesulfame K used to make it. It also advises a review of the arsenic and lead limits in the specifications for aspartame (E 951), following the approach taken for other re-evaluated sweeteners.

Those recommendations now pass to risk managers. The European Commission and member states decide whether to change the legal specifications for food additives, and manufacturers will watch for any tighter purity limits on the raw materials they buy.

For food producers, the E 962 sweetener outcome removes a point of uncertainty about a long-used ingredient. For consumers, it adds a documented safety check based on current exposure data, and for regulators it keeps the focus on specifications and purity rather than on the intake limits themselves.