Risk assessments of aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose and benzoic acid from soft drinks, "saft", nectar and flavoured water

The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) has at the request of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority conducted a risk assessment of the intense sweeteners aspartame, acesulfame K and sucralose and the preservative benzoic acid from soft drinks, “saft”, nectar and flavoured water. VKM concludes that for all age groups in all scenarios the intake of sweeteners is well below the established ADI values, thus, there is no concern related to the intake of the sweeteners aspartame, acesulfame K or sucralose.  
 
VKM further concludes that the benzoic acid intake in 2-year-old-children, in scenarios 3 and 4, is of concern as it reaches ADI for high consumers of soft drinks, “saft” and flavoured water, although the ADI is not a threshold for toxicity. For the other age groups, there is no concern related to the intake of benzoic acid from beverages. However, it should be noted that a considerable intake of benzoic acid also is expected from other sources such as food and cosmetics. High consumers of soft drinks, “saft” or flavoured water in all age groups could be at risk for approaching or exceeding ADI if the exposures from foods are taken into account. This is especially of concern for 2-year-old children, since high consumers of soft drinks and “saft” already have reached the ADI.