Sugar-Free Sweeteners Explained: Aspartame vs Sucralose, Stevia, Monk Fruit & More
Chapters
- The Short Answer
- The Six Approved Sweeteners
- The Packet Names
- Aspartame Versus Sucralose
- Stevia, Monk Fruit and Allulose
- The Twenty Twenty-Three Headlines
- Sweeteners and Weight
- A Note on Sugar Alcohols
- Reading a Sugar-Free Label
- Real Labels
- Your Turn
Audio from the Clean Food Score video of the same name; the video shows the labels and scores on screen.
Zero sugar doesn't tell you how a drink is sweetened. We decode the six FDA-approved sweeteners, the Equal, Splenda and Sweet'N Low packets, what IARC and JECFA actually said about aspartame in 2023, the WHO guideline on sweeteners and weight, and a 10-second label check (as of October 2026).
Full guide and the products we checked
Check any ingredient list free
Chapters
0:00 The Short Answer
0:47 The Six Approved Sweeteners
1:32 The Packet Names
2:29 Aspartame Versus Sucralose
3:19 Stevia, Monk Fruit and Allulose
4:10 The Twenty Twenty-Three Headlines
5:26 Sweeteners and Weight
6:14 A Note on Sugar Alcohols
7:08 Reading a Sugar-Free Label
7:48 Real Labels
8:33 Your Turn
Product scores are Clean Food Score's 0–100 label scores as shown on cleanfoodscore.com on 2026-10-16. Recipes change, so read the package you buy. We read labels; this is not medical advice.
Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Disquiet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.
#aspartame #sucralose #foodlabels