Hawaiian Aspartame Ban Stalls on Lack of Science

Moves to ban the use of aspartame in Hawaii appear to have failed after the bill was deferred until further evidence could be heard.

The decision by the chair of the Hawaiian House Health Committee, Josh Green, was widely criticized by groups in favor of the aspartame ban, who claimed that the decision had been influenced by powerful industry lobbyists.

Campaigners claiming that the sweetener — which is widely used in diet sodas and chewing gum — is carcinogenic and a danger to health, despite more than 25 years on the U.S. market since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration, blamed Japanese firm Ajinomoto, plus a raft of soft drink and confectionery brands that use the sweetener, of persuading Green to postpone the decision on the bill.

Green said he wanted time to read what evidence there was to support claims that the sweetener was dangerous, effectively ruling out any chance of a decision by the legislature in the current year.

An earlier bid to push through a ban on aspartame in the state of New Mexico also ended in failure — again as a result of corporate lobbying, campaigners claim.

Read the full FoodNavigator-USA story here.