# Sucralose Sucralose is a chlorinated derivative of sucrose, coded E 955 in the EU, in which three hydroxyl groups are replaced by chlorine atoms. It is roughly 600 times sweeter than table sugar and contributes no usable energy, because most of an ingested dose passes through the gut unabsorbed. EFSA re-evaluated sucralose in February 2026 and kept the ADI at 15 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. The FDA sets 5 mg/kg. EFSA found no genotoxicity concern for sucralose or its impurities at authorised uses, but could not conclude on a proposed extension into fine bakery wares, citing uncertainty about chlorinated compounds formed during baking. That uncertainty is also the German position. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has advised since 2019, and repeated in 2026, that food containing sucralose should not be heated above about 120 degrees Celsius. Prolonged heating causes stepwise dechlorination and can generate chlorinated organic compounds, including chloropropanols and dioxin-like substances. A separate line of work by Schiffman and colleagues in 2023 found sucralose-6-acetate, a manufacturing impurity, to be genotoxic in in vitro screens. Those were screening assays, not human data, and EFSA did not judge them decisive. The heating question remains genuinely open, and no long-term human outcome trial exists. ## Sources - EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF). (2026). Re-evaluation of sucralose (E 955) as a food additive and evaluation of a new application on extension of use of sucralose (E 955) in fine bakery wares. EFSA Journal. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.9854 - Schiffman SS, Scholl EH, Furey TS, Nagle HT. (2023). Toxicological and pharmacokinetic properties of sucralose-6-acetate and its parent sucralose: in vitro screening assays. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B. https://doi.org/10.1080/10937404.2023.2213903 - Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR). (2026). Sucralose: heating above 120 degrees Celsius can produce substances that are harmful to health. BfR Communication 015/2026. https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/notification/sucralose-heating-above-120c-can-produce-substances-that-are-harmful-to-health/ --- _Canonical: https://longevity-germany.com/en/glossary/sucralose · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-08-25_