The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), under the World Health Organization (WHO), recently classified artificialsweetener, aspartame, as “possibly carcinogenic.”
This news has been widely spread and many customers may have become aware and could be concerned. Artificial sweeteners are used widely in food and drinks and may be in many products you serve or use so it is good to get up to speed on what is going on in this situation.
However, the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) conducted an independent assessment and maintained their previous recommendation. This is, to not completely eliminate aspartame from diets, but to limit daily intake to approximately 40 mg per kilogram of body weight. To put this in context, it’s worth noting that a 355 ml can of diet soda (approximately 12 ounces) contains about 200 mg of aspartame. Thus, an adult weighing 60 kg would need to consume around 12 cans of diet soda daily to exceed the JECFA’s suggested limit, assuming no other aspartame-containing products are consumed.
This is a developing discussion, and there are many perspectives on the issue.