E-numbers / Sweeteners / E956
also: aclame · L-aspartyl-D-alanine amide
A very high-intensity sweetener, around 2,000 times sweeter than sugar, that is not authorised for use in UK or EU food.
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Alitame cannot legally be used in UK or EU food products.
Why it’s worth knowing. Alitame cannot legally be used in UK or EU food products. Any product bearing E956 on its label does not comply with current UK food additive law. It is not on the UK list of approved food additives, so you will not normally see this E number on a UK label.
Alitame is a synthetic dipeptide sweetener built from aspartic acid and a D-alanine amide derivative. It is structurally related to aspartame but roughly 2,000 times sweeter than sucrose, meaning it is effective at very low concentrations. It was developed in the 1980s by Pfizer.
It binds to sweet taste receptors on the tongue and triggers a sweet sensation without contributing meaningful calories. Because it is so much sweeter than sugar, only tiny amounts are needed to achieve the same sweetness level in food or drink.
Alitame is not authorised in the UK or EU, so you should not encounter it in products sold here. It has been approved for use in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and China, where it appears in low-calorie soft drinks, tabletop sweeteners, desserts, and confectionery. On labels in those countries it may appear as 'Alitame' or by its number (not an E-number in EU/UK law).
Alitame was never placed on the EU positive list of permitted food additives (Annex II to Regulation 1333/2008) and consequently has no E-number authorisation for use in food sold in the UK or EU. The UK FSA approved-additives list, which reflects assimilated EU law post-Brexit, does not include E956. This means its absence from shelves in the UK is a legal matter, not a consumer choice.
E956 Alitame does not appear on the UK FSA list of approved food additives and E-numbers.
Alitame is not included in Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, the EU positive list that defines which additives may legally be used in food.
Alitame received regulatory approval in Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), Mexico, and China. In the United States, Pfizer filed a food additive petition with the FDA in 1986; the petition was later transferred to other parties and approval was granted in 2002 for certain uses. These approvals involved safety reviews at anticipated levels of intake, and regulators in those jurisdictions set acceptable daily intake figures.
FSANZ authorises alitame as a food additive in Australia and New Zealand for use in specified food categories including beverages, confectionery, and table-top sweeteners.
The US FDA approved alitame for certain food uses following a food additive petition; an acceptable daily intake was established during that review.
Alitame is metabolised in the body to aspartic acid (an amino acid) and the D-alanine amide component. The aspartate released is the same amino acid found naturally in many foods. Unlike aspartame, alitame does not break down to phenylalanine, so it does not pose a risk to people with phenylketonuria (PKU) through that route. Because alitame was never authorised in the EU or UK, EFSA has never published a formal opinion or re-evaluation on it. The EU re-evaluation programme for sweeteners only covers additives already on the Annex II positive list; alitame's absence from that list means it falls entirely outside that programme.
Alitame is hydrolysed in the gut to aspartic acid and a D-alanyl amide; it does not yield phenylalanine, distinguishing it metabolically from aspartame.
EFSA's re-evaluation programme for food additives covers only those substances already authorised under EU law before 20 January 2009. Alitame was never on the EU positive list and therefore falls outside the scope of that programme; no EFSA Journal opinion on alitame exists.
Because alitame is not permitted in UK or EU food, no UK consumer should encounter it in products sold here. Anyone reading a label that lists 'Alitame' or 'E956' on a UK product should treat it as a labelling or compliance concern. People with known sensitivities to aspartic acid derivatives should note its chemical family if purchasing products in countries where it is permitted.
Alitame's absence from UK and EU shelves is not a safety verdict, it is a legal one: the substance was never submitted through, or did not complete, the EU authorisation process, so it never received a permitted status. Countries that have approved it, including Australia, New Zealand, and the US, carried out safety reviews and set intake limits. EFSA has not published any opinion on alitame, positive or negative; because it was never on the EU positive list, it falls outside the scope of the EU re-evaluation programme for sweeteners altogether. Shoppers in the UK will not see it in compliant products. The genuine uncertainty is that the full European safety evaluation was never completed and published, so the science base reviewed under EU rules is thinner than for additives that have gone through EFSA's formal process.
Alitame has not been authorised for use in UK food. The UK operates a positive-list system: only additives that appear on the approved list may be used. E956 does not appear on that list, so it cannot legally be used in food sold in the UK.
Alitame received approvals in Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and the US after safety reviews in those jurisdictions. It was not taken through the EU's formal authorisation process under Regulation 1333/2008, so it was never placed on the EU positive list. The UK's post-Brexit rules assimilated that EU list, leaving alitame with no permitted status here.
In countries where it is permitted, alitame appears in low-calorie soft drinks, table-top sweeteners, confectionery, and desserts. You should not find it in food sold legally in the UK or EU.
Alitame is a synthetically produced compound and contains no animal-derived ingredients in its final form. It would generally be considered vegan.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
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