The Bitter-Sweet Truth About Sweeteners: Another Blow to Ingredients Sweeter Than Sugar

Aspartame, one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners, has not been placed on the list of carcinogenic ingredients, although the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced in June this year that the World Health Organization (WHO) might do so. This low-calorie artificial sweetener is a substitute for sugar and is about two hundred times sweeter than it. It is found in many products, from Coca-Cola’s diet soft drinks to Mars’ Extra chewing gum, and will continue to be an indispensable ingredient in food and beverages.

Scientific Evidence

On July 13, the WHO, together with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), announced that aspartame is safe for use. The announcement followed a joint review by WHO and FAO expert committees on food additives (JECFA) of a vast amount of scientific data on aspartame consumption collected over decades, determining an acceptable daily intake that can be safely consumed throughout life. The Executive Director of the International Council of Beverage Associations (ICBA) Kate Loatman triumphantly stated that this conclusion from the world’s leading health and food safety experts once again confirms that aspartame is safe.

– JECFA’s conclusion that aspartame is safe is based on a vast amount of scientific evidence collected over more than four decades and on positive decisions from food safety institutions in over ninety countries – said Loatman.

Thoroughly Researched

Commenting on the announcement from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Loatman added:

– It is now officially recognized that aspartame poses no greater danger than aloe and hundreds of other substances that are classified in the same category based on evidence described as limited.

The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) also reacted enthusiastically to the WHO announcement, emphasizing that aspartame is one of the most thoroughly researched ingredients in the world and that the WHO’s conclusions align with findings from over ninety global food safety agencies, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which has reviewed aspartame twice, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

– When used as part of a balanced diet, aspartame, like all low-calorie sweeteners, allows consumers to choose a lower sugar intake, which is a key public health goal – stated ISA’s Secretary General Frances Hunt-Wood.

With the announcement of the safety of aspartame for use in food, the WHO has devalued the opinions of the IARC, one of its agencies, but this is not surprising. Only those who are truly independent do not have to dance to the tune of others, and the WHO is an administration that does not generate its own income but relies on contributions from various donors and industries whose interests it often openly represents. Aspartame entered the food and beverage industry in 1981 in America, and three years later in Europe, but it was discovered long before the U.S. FDA approved its use.

Its creator, chemist James M. Schlatter, discovered it in 1965 while researching the formation of the tetrapeptide hormone gastrin. The resulting powder had a sweet taste and was odorless, which Schlatter accidentally noticed by licking his finger that had traces of aspartame. This sweetener consists of natural amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid, components of proteins in the human body, as well as in food. The sweet taste is achieved by modifying phenylalanine, it has only four calories per gram, making it more acceptable than sugar, and to make its taste as similar as possible, it is mixed with other artificial sweeteners, such as potassium acesulfame. In America, this sweetener was first added to food in 1974 when a request for its approval was submitted.

Unnecessary Omission

In Europe, the use of aspartame was approved in 1984, and its daily intake was set at up to 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, and its presence in food and beverages is marked as E 951.

– The only known disease for which the intake of aspartame is prohibited is phenylketonuria (PKU) – explains Prof. Dr. Nikica Car, internist, diabetologist, and endocrinologist at Poliklinika LabPlus Zagreb, adding:

– Aspartame is an artificial sweetener two hundred times sweeter than sugar. The recommended daily dose in Europe is up to 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, and in the U.S. up to 50 milligrams. It is in the form of powder or granules and is found in six thousand different food ingredients. It is most commonly consumed in sweet beverages, pharmaceutical preparations, and various fruit juices. In mid-June 2023, the World Health Organization announced that it ‘may act carcinogenic.’ However, it also stated that its use is permitted in the recommended daily doses (as previously mentioned).

Professor Car emphasizes that many global agencies responsible for the registration and monitoring of all drugs and nutritional preparations, including the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), have not changed their stance on the permitted use of aspartame in a daily dose of up to 40 milligrams or up to 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

– Alongside aspartame, there are many sweeteners or artificial sweeteners, but they are not the subject of consideration. Therefore, we can conclude that based on the presented data, there is no need to omit the use of aspartame in the mentioned daily amounts – says Car.

Practice of Domestic Producers

The Croatian food industry is not at all concerned about the possible harmfulness of aspartame. For example, aspartame is not present in any product of Podravka, the largest domestic food producer. Atlantic Group partially uses it only in Cockta Free, and they are in the final stages of developing a new recipe and replacing the combination of sweeteners that do not contain aspartame.

– We still have to check the stability of the product, and then there will be a soon market launch – says the Director of Corporate Communications of Atlantic Group, Gabrijela Kasapović.

According to the Executive Director of Marketing at Dr. Oetker Croatia, Petra Banović Santos, it is also not present in the products and raw materials of that company. Although there are natural substitutes for both sugar and aspartame, or artificial sweeteners such as stevia, the Spider group has abandoned their use.

– We do not produce natural sweeteners. To add sweetness to tea blends, we add sweet blackberry leaves or licorice. Stevia as a plant has not been on the list of permitted plant species that can be added to food in Croatia since 2013. It was previously allowed, and we used it in tea blends – says the Vice President of the Management Board of the Spider group, Diana Bartolić.

Sweeter Coffee Without Sugar

Coffee does not have to be sweetened with sugar, aspartame, or stevia. One of the increasingly popular sweeteners is monk fruit, which has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Its sweetness does not come from natural fruit sugars glucose and fructose, but from the antioxidants it contains. They protect the body from damage caused by free radicals that cause diseases. Monk fruit can help prevent cancer, establish blood glucose balance, and has anti-inflammatory effects.

In some cases, no sweetener is needed for coffee to be sweet, as it can be sweet in itself, depending on the quality of the beans, the altitude at which it grows, and the roasting method. The Editor-in-Chief of Coffee Hexa, Lauren Winder Hoar, recommends liberica and arabica beans and all types of coffee that grow at higher altitudes. For example, those from plantations in Colombia, Kenya, Guatemala, Panama, and Ethiopia are sweeter. The founder of Fitness Equipped, Deniz Efe, who deals with molecular and medical biotechnology, recommends sweetening coffee with cinnamon combined with nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger, almond extract, vanilla, and coconut milk. All this means that sugar has a rich natural alternative, but it is also one that has not yet been fully explored.