Professor Andrew Renwick from the University of Southampton, who will be presenting on the safety of low calorie sweeteners at the conference said: "Many people do not realise that all approved low calorie sweeteners have to undergo rigorous safety testing before they can be added to foods or beverages. Large safety factors are used to determine the safe intake for humans of each sweetener; the levels permitted in foods ensure that intakes are well below these safety levels"

The survey also found that despite the uncertainty about the safety and usefulness of low calorie sweeteners, the majority of respondents reported consuming  low calorie sweeteners, or products containing them regularly. Claire Williamson, a Nutrition Scientist at the BNF explains "Although there was a lot of variation in the responses given about the use and safety of low calorie sweeteners, when we asked people whether they consume foods and drinks such as diet soft drinks, sugar-free chewing gum or low calorie yogurts, that typically contain low calorie sweeteners, 82% of the population reported having these regularly.".

Stanner concludes "We hope that today's conference will help to clarify the evidence so that consumers can make informed decisions about their use of low calorie sweeteners"

nutrition/bnfevents/events/sweeteners