Aspartame: Sweet Taste, Bitter Risk?
- Additives
Aspartame is “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, but still widely used in food and beverages across Europe. foodwatch calls for a ban.
In 2023, the artificial sweetener aspartame was classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Over one and a half years after this serious scientific alert, aspartame is still widely used in over 2,500 food products across Europe, including diet sodas, sugar-free chewing gum, and “light” dairy products.
To foodwatch, this is unacceptable: The European Commission must finally take action and ban aspartame in food and beverages! The precautionary principle enshrined in European law is clear: Any food additive that may pose a health risk should be immediately withdrawn from the market.
No to aspartame in our food and drinks!
Join the movement: Sign our petition to ban aspartame now!
Scientific Warnings Ignored for Too Long
Discussions about the safety of aspartame are nothing new. Starting with its introduction on the US market in the 70’s, and more recently when EFSA evaluated the substance for reauthorisation on the EU market, independent research has raised serious concerns about aspartame. Studies suggest a possible link to cancer, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and negative effects on the gut microbiome.
There's no time to lose. The inaction of governments and Europe over the last year and a half is intolerable. An additive associated by independent science with such serious health concerns has no place in our food or drinks.International Senior Campaigns Strategist
Shortly after the IARC classification, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stated that aspartame poses no risk for health at current consumption levels and maintained a rather high tolerable daily intake (which is equivalent to about 14 cans of aspartame-containing sodas per day). But JECFA's risk assessment relies heavily on a single study from 1981 - which was carried out by the world's largest aspartame manufacturer itself. On the other hand, a recent epidemiology study by the French National Institute of Public Health (INSERM) found associations with cancer already at significantly lower doses (between half a can and one can of aspartame-containing soda per day).
A European Petition for Change
To finally put pressure on the European Commission and national governments, foodwatch has teamed up with the French Cancer League and the consumer app Yuka to launch a Europe-wide petition targeting the European Commission and the relevant Member States’ ministries demanding a precautionary ban on aspartame. This unprecedented mobilization effort reflects the expectations expressed by two out of three European consumers surveyed by YouGov for foodwatch: based on the IARC classification, they are in favour of a ban on aspartame as a precautionary measure.
The Fate of Aspartame Must Follow that of Titanium Dioxide
There is precedent: In 2022, the use of titanium dioxide as a food additive (known under the name of E171) was banned in the EU due to scientific uncertainties about its long-term safety. Aspartame must be next!