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Aspartame is the name for the artificial, non-saccharide sweetener, aspartyl-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester. It has been the subject of controversy since its initial approval by the FDA in 1974. Some scientific studies, as well as conspiracy theories and hoaxes regarding alleged risks of aspartame have fueled the controversy. A 2007 safety evaluation found that the weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener. In 1987, the U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded that the food additive approval process had been followed for aspartame and in 1999, FDA scientists described the safety of aspartame as "clear cut" and stated that the product is "one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency had ever approved.

Aspartame is marketed under several trademark names, including "Equal", "NutraSweet" and "Canderel". It is used in approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide, and it is most commonly used in diet soft drinks. Aspartame is also used in some brands of chewable vitamin supplements and many sugar-free chewing gums, as well as in some gums which are not sugar free. it is not always suitable for baking because it often decomposes or breaks down when heated and loses much of its sweetness. Because sucralose, unlike aspartame, retains its sweetness after being heated, it has become more popular as an ingredient. This, along with differences in marketing and changing consumer preferences, has caused aspartame to lose market share to sucralose. In the European Union, it is also known under the "E number" E951. Aspartame is also one of the sugar substitutes used by people with Diabetes mellitus.