Alitame
Not authorised in EU, but permitted in AU-NZ and US. No evidence of harm at dietary intake.
- Category
- Sweeteners
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
What it is
A synthetic, high-intensity artificial sweetener (2,000 times sweeter than sugar).
How it is used in food
Alitame is a dipeptide sweetener roughly 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose, so gram-for-gram it is one of the most efficient sweeteners ever commercialised. Its practical advantage over aspartame is stability: it holds up far better to heat and to a wide pH range, which makes it usable in baked goods and long-shelf-life beverages where aspartame degrades and loses sweetness.
Commonly found in- Historically in diet drinks
Health and safety
Its authorisation in the EU was formally withdrawn in 2008 due to a complete lack of commercial use.
JECFA evaluated alitame and set an ADI of 1 mg per kg body weight per day, based on standard long-term animal feeding studies that found no carcinogenicity or reproductive toxicity. Metabolism is well characterised — it is hydrolysed to aspartic acid and an alanine amide derivative, most of which is excreted unchanged. Australia and New Zealand permit it (INS 956), the US has considered it, and the EU listing lapsed for absence of commercial use rather than for any safety finding.
Regulatory status
| Region | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australia & New Zealand FSANZ |
Permitted | Permitted under the FSANZ Food Standards Code. |
| European Union EFSA / European Commission |
Not approved | Not on the EU authorised list of food additives (Annex II). |
| United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration) |
Permitted | Authorised for food use by the FDA (often GRAS for standard additives). |
Identification on labels
- E-number
- E956
Worth knowing
Although built like aspartame from amino acids, alitame contains D-alanine rather than phenylalanine — so it needs no phenylketonuria warning, the labelling requirement that has dogged aspartame for decades. Developed by Pfizer under the trade name Aclame, it was technically successful but commercially stranded: sucralose and stevia captured the market it was designed for.
Conclusion
An obsolete and currently unauthorized sweetener.
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Open the appEntry last reviewed 2026-07-28.
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