With the World Health Organisation (WHO) likely to label Aspartame, one of the world’s most popular artificial sweeteners, a possible carcinogen, many celebrities like actor Tom Hanks who said his drink of choice is a “Cokeagne” a can of Diet Coke mixed with Champagne, former President Donald Trump who had a button added to the Oval Office which immediately requested the beverage, should think twice before opting to consume it.
Similarly, health freaks who considered Diet Coke a healthy and guilt-free option, might also have to find a suitable alternative.
The move by the cancer research arm of the WHO could shake the food and beverage industry to its core.
“The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has assessed the potential carcinogenic effect of aspartame,” the WHO said. “Following this, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) will update its risk assessment exercise on aspartame, including the reviewing of the acceptable daily intake and dietary exposure assessment for aspartame.”
The results of both evaluations will be released simultaneously on July 14.
From common drinks and foods, like Diet Coke to sugarless chewing gum to Dannon Activia yogurt, Aspartame is used in many consumer goods. It’s also used in cough drops and even toothpaste.
The WHO label indicates there is limited evidence linking aspartame to cancer which means there is evidence linking it to cancer but it is limited. There exist two other categories to list cancer causing agents – “probably carcinogenic to humans” and “carcinogenic to humans”.
Reportedly, the ruling from the IARC will not factor how much aspartame a person can safely consume. That advice will be determined by the JECFA.
The WHO last studied aspartame in 1981, determining an acceptable daily intake (40 mg per kilogram—2.2 lbs—of body weight).
Meanwhile, the talk on the pending declaration had put the food industry on the defensive. The the International Sweeteners Association—which has PepsiCo and and Skittles maker Mars Wrigley on its list of members, said it has “serious concerns with preliminary speculation about the IARC opinion.”
“IARC is not a food safety body,” said Frances Hunt-Wood, secretary general of the International Sweeteners Association in a statement. “No conclusions can be drawn until both reports are published. Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly researched ingredients in history, with over 90 food safety agencies across the globe declaring it is safe.”
The International Council of Beverages Associations, a trade organization for the nonalcoholic beverage industry, also condemned the leaking of the report and said “it could needlessly mislead consumers into consuming more sugar rather than choosing safe no- and low-sugar options.”
