A new study looking at foods and drinks sold in supermarkets in Spain involved systematic search and screening of ingredient label information across representative foodstuffs and beverages, accounting for 85% of the Spanish grocery market. The study looked at information declared on product labels and did not look at the quantity of sweeteners used.
Low and no calorie sweeteners (LNCS) were identified in 2,469 foodstuffs, with the highest prevalence in soft drinks followed by chocolate and sugar confectionery, energy bars, sweet toppings and desserts. Â In contrast with previous reports, the most frequently used LNCS was acesulfame K, followed by sucralose and aspartame. Acesulfame K was present in 58.24% of the products studied, sucralose in 43.62% and aspartame in 32.28%.
Interestingly in most cases, LNCS were not used individually, but in combinations of two or three. In previous studies foodstuffs were found to mostly contain only one or two LNCS. In contrast, the present study found that a quarter of the products contained one LNCS, a quarter included three and almost 40% contained two. These results indicate that the addition of a single LNCS is becoming less common, and that an increasing number of foods and drinks contain combinations of multiple LNCS.
Little is known about the potential health implications of cocktails of sweeteners used together in food and drink. The authors however suggest that using mixtures potentially reduces the amount of any one sweetener being used and this might contribute to lowering the risk of exceeding the acceptable daily intake for any one sweetener.
Asier Léniz, Saioa Gómez-Zorita, Rosaura Leis, Marcela González-Gross, MarÃa Puy Portillo and Rafael Urrialde, Analysis of the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners in foods and beverages marketed in Spain: An update., Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, (2026) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2026.10919
A review of the health and safety of acesulfame- K published in January 2026 by Chowdhury and Havlik reported that although human studies generally confirm its safety within the ADI range, preclinical models have reported alterations in gut microbiota composition, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory and gene-expression pathways which need further investigation. The authors also suggest that co-sweetener interactions can further influence sweetener stability and potentially the physiological response and that food-based and matrix-dependent evaluations for acesulfame-K risk assessment would better reflect real-world exposure scenarios, as this sweetener is rarely consumed in isolation. Evidence also indicates placental and lactational transfer of acesulfame-k warranting attention to early-life exposure.
Chowdhury, C R, Havlik, J (2026) Beyond sweetness: A review of the health and safety of acesulfame-K. Food Chemistry, 499, 147290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.147290.
