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Operational question: does the E 962 re-evaluation (e10259) change what operators may place in food supplements under Annex II categories 17.1 / 17.2 of Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, or change Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 specifications today? Answer: no. EFSA concludes no safety concern at current uses and reconfirms the component ADIs; Union-list authorisations and MPLs remain in force until the Commission adopts an amending act.

EFSA ≠ Commission. Contrast with Regulation (EU) 2026/189 (shellac E 904 in FSMP) and 2026/196 (gums / E 1450): those change the market through a Commission act. Here we have only a scientific assessment under the re-evaluation programme (Regulation (EU) No 257/2010).
E 962 dissociates to E 951 and E 950; ADIs 40 and 15 mg/kg; exposure below ADIs
Fig. 1. Upon ingestion E 962 dissociates into aspartame and acesulfame ions corresponding to E 951 and E 950. Safety is assessed via those components: ADIs 40 and 15 mg/kg bw per day; dietary exposure generally below the ADIs.

1. What did EFSA conclude?

EFSA’s news item of 10 September 2026 and the plain-language summary of Re-evaluation of salt of aspartame-acesulfame (E 962) as food additive (EFSA Journal 2026;24(9):e10259; DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10259; adopted at the July 2026 FAF plenary) establish that:

  • there is no safety concern at the currently reported uses and use levels for E 950, E 951 and E 962;
  • upon ingestion, E 962 dissociates into aspartame and acesulfame — the same constituents released by authorised sweeteners E 951 and E 950;
  • ADI for aspartame (E 951): 40 mg/kg bw per day — reconfirmed (update of the 2013 assessment; no new reference point; no genotoxicity concern for E 951 or DKP within this assessment);
  • ADI for acesulfame K (E 950): 15 mg/kg bw per day from the 2025 re-evaluation (EFSA Journal 2025;23(4):e9317; DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9317) — replacing the prior SCF ADI of 9 mg/kg bw/day; that ADI is used for the E 962 assessment;
  • dietary exposure to E 950 (from E 950 + E 962) and to E 951 (from E 951 + E 962) is generally below the ADIs in all population groups.
Primary sources verified: EFSA news 10.09.2026 and the e10259 PLS. Full opinion: DOI above.

2. Panel recommendations — not yet law

The Panel recommends:

  • updating EU specifications for E 962 so that it is produced from E 950 and E 951 that comply with their respective specifications;
  • reviewing arsenic and lead limits in the specifications for E 951 — aligned with other sweetener re-evaluations.

Those are scientific recommendations to the legislator. Until the Commission amends Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 and/or Annex II to 1333/2008 by a legislative act, the existing entries and limits remain in force.

Matrix: EFSA conclusion vs Annex II and 231/2012 status today
Fig. 2. Operational matrix: EFSA scientific outcome (safety, ADIs, specification recommendations) versus legal status today (17.1/17.2 MPLs unchanged; 231/2012 unchanged pending a Commission act).

3. Food supplements: E 962 MPLs in 17.1 and 17.2

Food categories 17.1 (solid form) and 17.2 (liquid form) — food supplements as defined in Directive 2002/46/EC, excluding supplements for infants and young children — still carry the E 962 entries in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 (including after the category-17 clean-up in Regulation (EU) 2018/1497). e10259 does not amend them.

CategoryE 962 — maximum levelForm restriction
17.1 — solid (excl. IYC)500 mg/kg—
17.1 — solid2 000 mg/kgonly chewable form
17.2 — liquid (excl. IYC)350 mg/kg—
17.2 — liquid2 000 mg/kgonly syrup form

The E 962 entries in 17.1/17.2 carry footnotes (11)a, (49), (50): the levels set for E 951 and E 950 must not be exceeded by use of E 962 alone or in combination with E 950 / E 951. For formulations: sum the acesulfame and aspartame contributions from all three E-numbers.

For comparison — E 950 / E 951 MPLs in the same categories (still in force): 17.1 — E 950: 500 mg/kg (chewable 2000); E 951: 2000 mg/kg (chewable 5500). 17.2 — E 950: 350 mg/kg (syrup 2000); E 951: 600 mg/kg (syrup 5500). That is the existing Union list, not a consequence of e10259.

4. Specifications 231/2012 and programme 257/2010

E 962 fell under the systematic re-evaluation of additives authorised before 20 January 2009 (Regulation (EU) No 257/2010). The scientific outcome is in e10259. Changing definition / purity in Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 still requires a separate Commission act — just as 2026/189 updated the E 904 specification only as a regulation, not as EFSA opinion e8897 alone.

5. FIC labelling — no new rules from the opinion

Foods containing aspartame / aspartame-acesulfame salt remain subject to Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (point 2.3): where the additive is designated in the ingredients list only by the E number — “contains aspartame (a source of phenylalanine)”; where designated by its specific name — “contains a source of phenylalanine”. Opinion e10259 does not create new labelling duties and does not repeal existing ones.

6. What e10259 does not do

  • It does not change MPLs or use categories in Annex II to 1333/2008.
  • It does not change the text of E 962 / E 951 specifications in 231/2012 today (despite the recommendations).
  • It does not authorise health claims (1924/2006) or “unlock” marketing claims built on ADIs.
  • It is not a novel-food authorisation or a national notification decision for a supplement.

7. Operator checklist

  1. Treat e10259 as a risk assessment, not as an amendment of the additives list.
  2. Keep the formula within the E 962 ML for the correct 17.1/17.2 subcategory and form (chewable / syrup).
  3. Sum E 950 and E 951 contributions from E 962 — footnotes (49)/(50)/(11)a.
  4. Watch future Commission drafts on 231/2012 (E 962; As/Pb in E 951) — they are not law yet.
  5. Keep FIC (phenylalanine) and do not build a health claim from an ADI.

Glossary

E 962
Salt of aspartame-acesulfame — a distinct additive; upon ingestion it dissociates into the constituents of E 951 and E 950.
ADI
Acceptable daily intake — an estimate of the amount that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk given current knowledge.
MPL
Maximum level of use in a given food category in Annex II to 1333/2008.
Re-evaluation
Programme under Regulation (EU) No 257/2010 — scientific assessment; changing the law requires a Commission act.

Conclusion

EFSA (e10259) finds no safety concern for E 962 at current exposure, reconfirms the aspartame ADI of 40 mg/kg bw per day and bases the assessment on the acesulfame K ADI of 15 mg/kg bw per day. For supplements in 17.1/17.2 nothing on the Union list changes today: 500 / 2000 mg/kg (solid) and 350 / 2000 mg/kg (liquid), plus the rule not to exceed E 950/E 951 levels, remain in force until the Commission amends 1333/2008 and/or 231/2012.

Educational material, not legal or medical advice. Based on EFSA news 10.09.2026, the e10259 PLS/DOI, e9317, and the additives list in 1333/2008 (category 17). Product qualification depends on form, category and formula documentation.

Primary sources

  1. EFSA news, 10.09.2026 — completion of the E 962 re-evaluation.
  2. EFSA Journal 2026;24(9):e10259 — DOI 10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10259; plain-language summary.
  3. EFSA Journal 2025;23(4):e9317 — E 950 re-evaluation; ADI 15 mg/kg bw/day.
  4. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 — Annex II Part E, categories 17.1/17.2 (E 950/E 951/E 962); see also (EU) 2018/1497.
  5. Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 — specifications for E 950, E 951, E 962.
  6. Regulation (EU) No 257/2010 — additives re-evaluation programme.
  7. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 — Annex III point 2.3 (aspartame / aspartame-acesulfame salt).
  8. EU 2026/189 / EU 2026/196 — contrast: Commission acts vs EFSA opinion alone.
  9. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 — claims; outside the scope of e10259.