Aspartame Links

1. Factual links

   Some of the websites providing factual information on Aspartame:

   • 1.1 Some Q&As and FAQs on aspartame
   • 1.2 Some information on aspartame provided by institutions
   • 1.3 Some news sites on aspartame
   • 1.4 Some policy-related websites
2. Other Views
   • 2.1 Is the EC-SCF report a consensus one?
   • 2.2 The pseudo-scientific hoax

See also our page containing sites linking to this Digest

1. Factual links

1.1 Some Q&As and FAQs on aspartame

• Questions and Answers on aspartame from the European Food Information Council (EUFIC): www.eufic.org/gb/food/pag/food15/food152.htm 

• Questions and Answers on aspartame from the American Cancer Society (ACS): www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_3_2X_Common_Questions_About_Diet_and_Cancer.asp 

• Health Canada offers its view on the safety of aspartame and artificial sweeteners on” www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/sweeten-edulcor/aspartame-eng.php 

• FAQs about the use of aspartame in low-calorie foods and beverages from the Aspartame Information Center of the Calorie Control Council (an industry association): www.aspartame.org/aspartame_faq.html 

• A web site with Questions and Answers (Q&As) on aspartame by Ajinomoto (an aspartame producer): www.aspartame.net/FAQ_menu.asp 

1.2 Some information on aspartame provided by institutions

• A report on aspartame from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) at:
  www.food.gov.uk/safereating/chemsafe/additivesbranch/sweeteners/55174  and on sweeteners at: www.food.gov.uk/safereating/chemsafe/additivesbranch/sweeteners/ 

• An article on sugar substitutes including aspartame from the US Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) at: www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/699_sugar.html ; and a statement on the question of brain cancer and aspartame at: www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00772.html 

• An article on sugar substitutes of the US Medical College of Wisconsin (US MCW) at: http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/950309886.html 

• EN: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed the safety of Aspartame: www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/KeyTopics/efsa_locale-1178620753812_Aspartame.htm  

1.3 Some news sites on aspartame

• An article entitled "Sweetener 'not linked to cancer'" from BBC News at:
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4970406.stm 

1.4 Some policy-related websites

• An overview of the European Union (EU) legislation on authorized sweeteners at: http://ec.europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l21069.htm  The EU Directive on the labeling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs (2000): http://ec.europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l21090.htm 

2. Other Views

Links in this section have been selected as examples of other views on Aspartame. This list of links is only a sample and it is not suggested that it is complete nor that it is fully representative of all the existing views. GreenFacts asbl takes no position concerning the views expressed in these linked documents.

2.1 Is the EC-SCF report a consensus one?

Most scientists globally agree with the EEA conclusions contained in its 2002
 "Adobe Acrobat DocumentUpdate on the safety of Aspartame"

Another recent assessment by the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA, 2002) reaches a similar conclusion:

"(...) the current state of scientific knowledge does not enable a relationship to be established between the exposition to the aspartame and brain tumours in humans or animals."  www.afssa.fr/ftp/basedoc/aspartamgb.pdf

2.2 The pseudo-scientific hoax

The e-mail hoax that has been circulating is posted at:
urbanlegends.about.com/library/blasp.htm 

The answer from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF) at:
www.msfocus.org/publications/pub_articles_aspart.html 

The answer from the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) at:
www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsID.265/