Is sucralose really safe? Discover EFSA's new opinion on the sweetener used in light and sugar-free products

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EFSA has published the conclusions of its re-evaluation of sucralose, the sweetener E 955 used in numerous light and sugar-free products.

It all started with the food industry's request to extend the use of this additive to baked goods such as breads, cookies and cakes without added sugars. However, the subsequent scientific assessment revealed something important: When exposed to high temperatures for extended periods of time, sucralose can undergo chemical transformation, where the chlorine present can migrate and potentially form chlorinated compounds.

Exactly what these substances do in the human body is still unknown. It's precisely this uncertainty that led European experts not to give a green light.

What is sucralose and why is it so widespread?

Sucralose is a very powerful synthetic sweetener (about 600 times sweeter than sugar), found in a lot of products with 'zero sugar' or reduced calorie content: soft drinks, yogurt, pre-packaged desserts and chewing gum. In the European Union, it's approved as a food additive and is labeled E 955.

Until recently, sucralose was considered established among sugar substitutes, but EFSA's new assessment points to uncertainties surrounding its behavior when exposed to high temperatures.

The issue of heat

The risk identified by EFSA comes into play at two levels. The first is the industrial level: some manufacturing processes for the newly requested applications require high temperatures by themselves. Under these conditions, sucralose may break down and form chlorinated compounds, the health effects of which are still unknown. However, this risk can be controlled by using short heating times during production.

The second level is exactly what made it impossible to authorize: if sucralose were allowed in bakery products, they would eventually end up in consumers' kitchens. There, further heating in oven or pan takes place under conditions that are impossible to standardize. Varying temperatures, different baking times, imprecise amounts of sweetener: too many factors out of control to rule out the formation of those same potentially harmful substances.

What is and isn't 'safe'

EFSA has confirmed that the currently permitted uses of sucralose - in beverages, in certain ready-to-eat sweets and in ice cream cones - remain safe, and has set the acceptable daily intake at 15mg per kilogram of body weight. However, it does recommend that the European Commission address the outstanding issue: what to do with sucralose in home preparations that require intense heating, such as frying or baking in the oven.

Meanwhile, the reassessment's message is that you should be careful about using sucralose in cooking, and better not add it to home-prepared dishes that are heated at high temperatures.

The sucralose story is not over, however. The European Commission and member states must now discuss how to proceed in light of this assessment.

(©EFSA via GreenMe.it 2026 / Managing Editor: Julie Morgan - The Press Junction / Picture: ©Miguel Bruna via Unsplash)