The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new artificial sweetener on Wednesday that will join the ranks of other sugar substitutes. The sweetener is called advantame, though once it is branded it will likely be known more popularly by a different name.

A gram of advantame is 20,000 times the sweeter than a gram of sugar and considerably sweeter than the other five types of sweetening food additives. Aspartame (Equal), saccharine (Sweet’N Low) and sucralose (Splenda) all range between 200 to 700 times sweeter than sugar in contrast.

The other two sweeteners currently on the market are neotame (Newtame) and acesulfame potassium (Sweet One). Stevia, a sweetener derived from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a South American plant, has also been deemed safe for use by the FDA but is not required to adhere to the same approval standards as other sweeteners.

Like all of its predecessors, advantame is expected to be criticized in some public spheres despite the FDA’s assertion that it is safe for consumption. It does not add any noteworthy caloric value to foods and testing has shown no adverse health effects. It does not contain carcinogens, no toxic effects were observed in human or animals alike and it does not elevate blood sugar levels when consumed.

Advantame does contain phenylalanine, which can be hazardous to individuals with a genetic disorder known as phenylketonuria. However, this disorder is rare and the levels of phenylalanine are extremely low, as are the amounts of sweetener needed, since it is so much sweeter than sugar. The FDA’s official stance is that even those with the disorder should be able to safely consume advantame.

In fact, the FDA has stated that a single person can safely ingest up to 40,000 packets of advantame daily.

The FDA recommends against using advantame with poultry or meat, but it is water soluble and does not break down when exposed to heat. These qualitities make it useful for baking, jams and beverages such as soda.