American consumers now have another way to sweeten up their meals.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the new food additive advantame for use as a general-purpose sweetener and flavor enhancer in food, except meat and poultry.

The regulatory agency said in a news release it must judge food additives as safe before they can be marketed in the United States and advantame is so far the sixth high-intensity sweetener that has been approved for inclusion in the market.

High-intensity sweeteners, such as advantame, are often used in place of sugar for a number of reasons, including the fact they contribute few if any calories to one's diet.

According to the agency Website, high-intensity sweeteners are ingredients "used to sweeten and enhance the flavor of foods. Because high-intensity sweeteners are many times sweeter than table sugar (sucrose), smaller amounts of high-intensity sweeteners are needed to achieve the same level of sweetness as sugar in food."

The consumption of high-intensity sweeteners also typically will not raise blood sugar levels.

The USFDA release said advantame is "a free-flowing, water soluble, white crystalline powder that is stable even at higher temperatures, and can be used as a tabletop sweetener as well as in cooking applications. Advantame has been approved for use as a general-purpose sweetener and flavor enhancer and can be used in baked goods, non-alcoholic beverages (including soft drinks), chewing gum, confections and frostings, frozen desserts, gelatins and puddings, jams and jellies, processed fruits and fruit juices, toppings, and syrups."

When evaluating the safety of advantame under a prescribed sert of conditions, the FDA reviewed data from 37 animal and human studies that were developed to identify possible related health risks, such as effects on reproductive and neurological systems, and conditions leading to cancer.

"The FDA concluded after a thorough evaluation that advantame is safe for human consumption under the petitioned conditions of use," the release said.