The Federal Public Health Service also does not change the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of aspartame. The artificial sweetener found in many diet drinks is “possibly carcinogenic” according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Belgian food industry also emphasizes that aspartame is safe.
The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently examined the extent to which aspartame can be a danger. Experts concluded that the sweetener is “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, classifying the substance in group 2B. However, the daily dose considered risk-free remains unchanged. That ADI remains fixed at 40 mg/kg body weight per day.
The FPS Public Health points out that the classification by the WHO gives an indication that a substance may be carcinogenic. “So this says nothing about the risk of developing cancer at a certain level of exposure,” explains a spokeswoman for the government service.
The WHO food safety organization JECFA does look at the risk of developing cancer at certain levels of exposure, and concluded that the evidence is inconclusive. “In addition, JECFA concludes that aspartame is not genotoxic and no plausible mechanism has been found that would indicate the possibility of causing cancer,” said the FOD spokeswoman.
There is therefore no reason for JECFA to change the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg of aspartame per kilogram of body weight per day. The consumption of aspartame within this limit is therefore still considered safe. An adult weighing 70 kilograms could therefore consume 14 cans of diet soda containing 200 mg of aspartame per day without exceeding the ADI, assuming no intake from other sources.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is also investigating aspartame. It is not yet clear when exactly the results of this European assessment will be published.
The Belgian food industry also emphasizes that the current use of aspartame is safe. “The current use of aspartame was and therefore remains safe,” concludes Fevia, the federation of the Belgian food industry, based on the evaluation by ECFA. Fevia will inform the food companies in our country about this.
The use of aspartame or other sweeteners is permitted by a European regulation in a whole range of foods. This includes drinks, but also desserts, ice cream, confectionery, dairy products, fruit and vegetable preparations, chewing gum, confectionery and table sweeteners.
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