Aspartame, the sweetener in diet soda, to be classified as a carcinogen
Aspartame, one of the world’s most common artificial sweeteners, is set to be classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The ingredient — used in products ranging from diet sodas like Coke to chewing gum to some Snapple drinks — will be listed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for the first time in July by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO’s cancer research arm, sources told Reuters.
A carcinogen is a substance capable of causing cancer in humans. The IARC’s ruling on aspartame was finalized earlier this month. According to Reuters, the ruling is intended to assess whether something is a potential hazard based on all of the published evidence.
The beverage industry has since slammed this possible aspartame classification.
In a statement Thursday night, the International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA) called the looming declaration “misleading.”
Statement by the International Council of Beverages Associations on leaked aspartame reports published today by @ReutersUK: https://t.co/wvi2NLNazZ pic.twitter.com/3iuYMWHaZO
— ICBA (@ICBAbeverages) June 29, 2023
“While it appears IARC is now prepared to concede that aspartame presents no more of a hazard to consumers than using aloe vera, public health authorities should be deeply concerned that this leaked opinion contradicts decades of high-quality scientific evidence and could needlessly mislead consumers into consuming more sugar rather than choosing safe no- and low-sugar options – all on the basis of low-quality studies,” said Executive Director Kate Loatman.
According to Reuters, the ruling doesn’t take into account how much aspartame a person can safely consume.
Together, the WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) will be providing guidance for individual consumption and national regulators.
The ICBA says it welcomes the broader food safety review by the JECFA.
“We remain confident in the safety of aspartame given the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and positive safety determinations by food safety authorities in more than 90 countries around the world,” said Loatman.
What would a carcinogenic classification mean for consumers?
Well, similar rulings for different substances in the past have led to lawsuits and put pressure on manufacturers to remake recipes, reported Reuters.
Aspartame has been labelled as safe to consume within accepted daily limits by the JECFA since 1981. The accepted daily limit varies on the person’s weight.
Reuters gave the example of an adult weighing 132 pounds. That person would have to drink between 12 and 36 cans of diet soda, depending on the amount of aspartame in the drink, every day to be at risk.
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