Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweetener is the term used to describe a number of chemical products that are used to sweeten foods and beverages in place of caloric [Page 71]sweeteners such as corn syrup or sucrose. In the United States, there have been four common artificial sweeteners of which three are currently on the market: (1) saccharin, (2) cyclamates, (3) aspartame, and (4) sucralose. The last two are more commonly known by their brand names NutraSweet and Splenda. Statistics from 2007 revealed that 45% of American households regularly purchase artificially sweetened products. These numbers have grown since artificial sweetener became an ingredient in manufactured food and beverage products, often sold as a “diet” or “low-calorie” option, first in the 1950s. Between 1991 and 2007 alone, the total number ...