Aspartame, one of the most popular artificial sweeteners in the world, is anticipated to be labelled as a potential carcinogen by the World Health Organisation’s cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, IARC.
In its future decision, the IARC, which evaluates the possible dangers of substances based on published evidence, will classify aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for the first time.
The sweetener, which is popularly used in goods like diet soda and chewing gum, is pitted against the food sector and authorities in this ruling.
The decision has concerned both authorities and the food industry and is scheduled to be announced in July.
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert body on Food Additives (JECFA), a separate expert body on food additives, sets acceptable consumption levels, which are not taken into account by the IARC classification.
Concerns concerning potential public confusion have been highlighted due to the concurrent safety evaluation processes for aspartame.
National authorities, including those in the US and Europe, have already recommended the safe use of aspartame within established daily limits based on JECFA’s analyses since 1981.
A great deal has been affected by the IARC’s prior decisions regarding various drugs, which has resulted in consumer complaints, legal action, and recipe modifications. The agency’s assessments have, however, sometimes come under fire for unnecessarily alarming or confusing people.
The IARC divides compounds into four categories: carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, maybe carcinogenic, and not classifiable based on the strength of the evidence rather than the level of danger they pose.
The first category, according to IARC, includes compounds with solid evidence that they cause cancer, such as processed meat and asbestos.
Working overnight and consuming red meat fall into the “probable” category, which denotes that there is only weak evidence that these things can cause cancer in people but stronger evidence that they can cause cancer in animals or that they share traits with other human carcinogens.
The “radiofrequency electromagnetic fields” associated with mobile phone use are “possibly cancer-causing.” Like aspartame, this means there is either limited evidence they can cause cancer in humans, sufficient evidence in animals, or strong evidence about the characteristics.
“IARC is not a food safety body and their review of aspartame is not scientifically comprehensive and is based heavily on widely discredited research,” Frances Hunt-Wood, secretary general of the International Sweeteners Association, said.
