Aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in light food products and soft drinks, does not pose risks to the general population, the European food safety agency (EFSA) said on Tuesday. It urged the Commission to strengthen the confidence of consumers, hoping to overcome the mistrust of citizens towards the additive.
After considering the results of hundreds of studies, EFSA concluded “that aspartame and its breakdown products are safe for consumption,” the chair of its panel on food additives, Alicja Mortensen, announced on Tuesday.
The amount of aspartame one person can consume per day, or ‘acceptable daily intake’ (ADI), is currently at 40 milligrams per kilogram (of food). “There was no reason to revise this ADI,” EFSA argued.
The agency flagged that people suffering from phenylketonuria (PKU) do not fall under this recommendation: PKU patients are unable to metabolise a certain type of amino acid found in aspartame and, EFSA advised, “should avoid all food items containing aspartame”.
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Source: http://www.euractiv.com
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