WHO considers popular sweetener aspartame a carcinogen

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), may declare one of the world’s most popular artificial sweeteners “potentially carcinogenic to humans.” The agency was told Reuters two people familiar with it, this announcement could be made next month.

Developed in 1965, aspartame is the second most popular artificial sweetener in the world. It is produced in tens of thousands of tons per year and is found in several thousand food and beverage products. For many years, scientific organizations and regulatory bodies in different countries have studied the safety of this product, as it was periodically believed that aspartame could provoke cancer.

One of the latest studies was conducted in France last year and found that high aspartame consumption slightly increases the risk of cancer in adults. In preparing their opinion, IARC reviewed more than 1,300 scientific papers on this topic and discussed the issue with a number of experts.

Meanwhile, many professional associations and manufacturers have criticized the IARC’s opinion, recalling that the agency has previously made controversial decisions, causing unnecessary anxiety among consumers. For example, IARC has previously classified night work and red meat consumption as “possibly cancer-causing factors”.

The International Sweetener Manufacturers and Consumers Association, which includes Mars Wrigley and Cargill, among others, said it was “very concerned about the IARC report, which could mislead consumers.” The head of the International Council of Beverage Associations, Kate Lotman, expressed a similar sentiment, noting that this sentiment “could mislead consumers into consuming more sugar rather than choosing safe, sugar-free or low-sugar options.”

Alena Miklashevskaya