Why did EFSA set a daily limit when the WHO didn't?

The WHO's expert committee (JECFA) evaluated erythritol in 1999 and gave it an acceptable daily intake of 'not specified', meaning no numerical limit was judged necessary. EFSA re-evaluated it in 2023 and did set a number: 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, chosen to protect against the laxative effect and knock-on effects such as electrolyte imbalance. EFSA also found that both average and high consumers in every age group can exceed that limit.

Which foods contain erythritol?

Sugar-free and 'keto' products: stevia and monk fruit blends sold as table-top sweeteners, sugar-free chocolate, protein bars, sugar-free gum and mints, diet and zero-sugar drinks, low-carb ice cream and bakery mixes. On labels it appears as erythritol, E968, INS 968, or simply within 'sweeteners' or 'sugar alcohols' on a nutrition panel.

Is erythritol better than sugar?

It contributes almost no calories and does not raise blood glucose, which is why it is used in diabetic and low-carb products. That is a real advantage over sugar. But the WHO's 2023 guideline advises against using non-sugar sweeteners generally for weight control, and the open cardiovascular research means 'better than sugar' is not the same as 'no questions'. LabelCop shows you both sides rather than picking one.

Home › Ingredients › Erythritol (E968)

Is erythritol safe?

Q: Is erythritol banned anywhere?

No. Erythritol (E968, INS 968) is permitted as a sweetener in the EU, UK, US, India, Canada and Australia. The EU restricts how much can go into drinks, and EU labels must warn that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.

Q: Does erythritol cause heart attacks or strokes?

That is not established. A 2023 study in Nature Medicine found that people with higher erythritol levels in their blood had roughly double the rate of heart attack, stroke or death over three years, and a 2024 follow-up in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology found an erythritol-sweetened drink made platelets more prone to clotting in healthy volunteers. These are association and short-term mechanism studies, not proof that eating erythritol causes cardiovascular events. The body also makes erythritol internally, which complicates the picture. The FDA published an evaluation of the 2023 paper and did not change erythritol's status. Researchers on both sides have called for long-term trials.

By LabelCop · Last updated 28 July 2026 · Sources: EFSA, FDA, FSSAI, WHO/JECFA, peer-reviewed studies

The short answer: legal everywhere — but the EU set a daily limit in 2023 and found most people already go past it.

EU: permitted, capped in drinks, warning label required — and EFSA's new limit (0.5 g/kg body weight) is exceeded across every age group
WHO/JECFA: no numerical limit at all — "ADI not specified" since 1999
US & India: permitted; the FDA treats it as generally recognised as safe
LabelCop: high-risk flag — the cardiovascular research is unresolved and the EU limit is easy to exceed

What is erythritol?

A sugar alcohol (polyol) — about 60–80% as sweet as sugar with almost no calories
Made commercially by fermenting glucose with yeasts (Moniliella species), not extracted from fruit
Doesn't raise blood glucose, which is why diabetic and "keto" products use it
Most of it is absorbed and passed out in urine rather than fermented in the gut — that's why it causes less bloating than other polyols
Label names: erythritol, E968, INS 968 — or hidden inside "sweeteners" or "polyols / sugar alcohols" on the nutrition panel

Which foods contain it?

Stevia and monk-fruit table-top sweeteners — erythritol is usually the bulk of the sachet
Sugar-free chocolate, biscuits and protein bars
Sugar-free gum, mints and sweets
Zero-sugar drinks and flavoured waters
Low-carb ice cream, bakery mixes and "keto" ranges

In India: most often seen in imported keto and diabetic-friendly ranges, protein bars and stevia blends sold online and in quick-commerce — check for INS 968 in the ingredient list, not just the front-of-pack "sugar free" claim

What the regulators actually say

Regulator	Status	Reasoning
EFSA / European Union	Permitted — new daily limit, exposure exceeds it	EFSA's 2023 re-evaluation set an acceptable daily intake of 0.5 g per kg of body weight per day, protective against the laxative effect and consequences such as electrolyte imbalance. EFSA found both average and high consumers in all age groups can exceed it — with the highest estimates in children and adolescents. Use in drinks is capped (1.6%) and EU labels must carry a laxative-effect warning.
FDA (United States)	Permitted — GRAS	Erythritol is used under "generally recognised as safe" notifications, with no numerical daily limit. After the 2023 Nature Medicine paper the FDA published an evaluation of that article and did not change its status.
FSSAI (India)	Permitted as a sweetener (INS 968)	Allowed in specified food categories under India's food additive regulations, alongside other polyols. India follows Codex practice, which reflects the JECFA "not specified" position rather than EFSA's new number.
WHO / JECFA	ADI "not specified" (1999)	The joint FAO/WHO expert committee judged that no numerical limit was needed at levels required to sweeten food. That evaluation predates the recent cardiovascular research by more than two decades.
UK, Canada, Australia	Permitted	Permitted as a sweetener; the UK retains the EU-style laxative warning requirement.

Why do regulators disagree?

The gap is about age, not evidence quality. JECFA's clearance is from 1999; EFSA looked again in 2023 and reached a different conclusion
EFSA's number is about laxation, not the heart. The 0.5 g/kg limit exists because erythritol at high single doses causes diarrhoea — and repeated diarrhoea can disturb electrolytes
The awkward finding: EFSA's own exposure modelling says typical consumption already exceeds the limit it just set. Legal, labelled, and over the line at the same time
The cardiovascular question sits outside all of this. No regulator has yet acted on it; researchers have asked for long-term trials
We show you the disagreement rather than quietly picking a side

What the heart research actually found

2023, Nature Medicine: people with higher erythritol in their blood had roughly double the rate of heart attack, stroke or death over three years, in two separate patient groups
2024, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: drinking an erythritol-sweetened beverage made platelets more prone to clotting in healthy volunteers
2025, JACC: Advances (ARIC study): higher erythritol levels in older adults were associated with heart-failure hospitalisation
The caveats matter: these are associations and short-term mechanism studies, not proof that eating erythritol causes events. The body also produces erythritol internally, so blood levels aren't purely dietary
Where it stands: unresolved. Enough signal to warrant a flag; not enough for a regulator to have moved

How LabelCop scores it

Erythritol (E968) is a high-risk flag in LabelCop
Two reasons: the published cardiovascular findings are unresolved, and EFSA's own limit is routinely exceeded
Rule: strictest regulator wins — EFSA set a number, so we treat that number as the standard everywhere
The product's score takes a penalty — and you see the flag, the reason and the sources. No black box

Frequently asked questions

Is erythritol banned anywhere?

No. It's permitted in the EU, UK, US, India, Canada and Australia. The EU caps how much can go into drinks and requires a laxative-effect warning on the label.

Why did EFSA set a limit when the WHO didn't?

JECFA cleared erythritol in 1999 with no numerical limit. EFSA re-examined it in 2023 and set 0.5 g per kg of body weight per day to protect against the laxative effect and knock-on problems like electrolyte imbalance — then found that people in every age group can exceed it.

Does erythritol cause heart attacks or strokes?

Not established. Studies in 2023, 2024 and 2025 found associations with cardiovascular events and a short-term effect on platelet clotting, but association isn't causation and the body makes erythritol on its own. The FDA reviewed the 2023 paper and left the status unchanged. Researchers have called for long-term trials.

How much is too much?

By EFSA's 2023 limit, 0.5 g per kg of body weight per day — about 35 g for a 70 kg adult, which a few servings of sugar-free products can reach. Single large doses are also the ones most likely to cause diarrhoea.

How do I avoid it?

Look for erythritol, E968 or INS 968 in the ingredients list, and check the "polyols" line on the nutrition panel — front-of-pack "sugar free" tells you nothing about which sweetener was used. Or scan the label with LabelCop and it's flagged automatically, with the regulator reasoning shown.

"Sugar free" doesn't tell you what's inside.

LabelCop reads any food label you photograph and flags sweeteners like erythritol instantly — no barcode needed.

Join the early-access list

Sources

EFSA (2023): re-evaluation of erythritol (E 968) as a food additive — plain language summary · EFSA Journal (2023): full re-evaluation opinion, ADI 0.5 g/kg bw/day · FDA: evaluation of the erythritol and cardiovascular event risk article · FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards regulations — permitted additives · WHO (2023): guideline on non-sugar sweeteners · Witkowski et al., Nature Medicine 2023;29:710–718 · Witkowski et al., Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 2024 · JACC: Advances (2025): erythritol and cardiovascular outcomes, ARIC study

Related ingredients: Sucralose (E955) · Acesulfame K (E950) · Aspartame (E951) · Stevia (E960) — the sweetener erythritol most often carries

This article explains regulatory status and published scientific assessments in plain English. It is not medical advice.