Diary Survey of the Intake of Intense Sweeteners by Young Children from Soft Drinks (Number 36/03)

• The average daily intakes of aspartame, acesulfame K, saccharin and cyclamate were 3.38, 0.92, 1.16 and 4.46 milligrams per kilogram bodyweight (mg/kg bw) respectively. The 'high level' consumer intake of aspartame, acesulfame K, saccharin and cyclamate were 12.01, 3.72, 3.83 and 14.07 mg/kg bw respectively. These data are based on only those children who consumed drinks containing that particular sweetener.
• The intake estimates show that young children are unlikely to exceed the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) for aspartame (40 mg/kg bw), acesulfame K (9 mg/kg bw) and saccharin (5 mg/kg bw). However, for high level consumers of cyclamate the estimated intake is twice the ADI of 7 mg/kg bw. Data from this survey will be used to calculate acceptable limits for cyclamate in soft drinks to ensure that children are unlikely to exceed the ADI for this sweetener through the consumption of soft drinks.
• The primary aim of the survey was to gather information on the types and quantities of drinks consumed by young children aged between 1½ and 4½ years. This was used to estimate the intake of four intense sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K, saccharin and cyclamate) using information provided by manufacturers on the level of intense sweeteners in soft drinks.
• Diaries were designed to record all the drinks consumed over a seven-day period. In total 1110 completed diaries were collected from 12 areas across the UK and analysed to assess the variation in the types of drinks consumed and variation in consumption by demographic and socioeconomic subgroups.
• The average daily volumes consumed were 149 ml for carbonated drinks, 438 ml for dilutable drinks, 152 ml for powdered drinks, 189 ml for tea/coffee, 417 ml for natural still drinks, 110 ml for commercial still drinks and 353 ml for infant formula. These figures are based on those children who consumed that particular type of drink only.