Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica - Ecobrief

Ecobreves – ITALY: Aspartame Controversy Continues

MILAN, May 13 2006 (IPS) - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) upheld the safety of the artificial sweetener aspartame after evaluating the study by the European Ramazzini Foundation based in the Italian city of Bologna, which concluded that the widely used substance could have carcinogenic effects.

EFSA announced on May 5 that, based on the available data, it would not be necessary to re-evaluate the safety of aspartame (used in hundreds of sugar-free products, including the popular diet versions of Coca Cola and Pepsi) or to revise the daily intake approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — 50 mg per kilogram of the consumer's body weight.

In response to EFSA's statement, the Ramazzini Foundation defended its results, and its scientific director Morando Soffritti said the research would continue, “not only of aspartame, but also other chemical sweeteners used in foods, beverages and pharmaceutical products.”