ISA statement in response to Foodwatch, Yuka and Ligue contre le cancer campaign against aspartame

Brussels, 4 February 2025

The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) believes there is important context missing in recent media attention on the campaign against aspartame launched by 3 organisations, which has the potential to confuse and mislead consumers, health authorities and the general public.

Aspartame has been the subject of an overwhelming number of scientific studies and has been thoroughly researched and approved for global use. In fact, food safety authorities including the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have reviewed aspartame and found that its use is safe. In 2013, EFSA re-confirmed the safety of aspartame after undertaking the most comprehensive risk assessment of aspartame to date. 

In 2023, as part of its comprehensive assessment, reconfirming the safety of aspartame, JECFA examined IARC’s conclusions and found no concern for human health. Importantly, IARC is not a food safety body, and its classification does not consider intake levels and actual risk, making it less comprehensive than JECFA’s reviews and potentially confusing for consumers. For context, IARC classifies aspartame alongside kimchi and other pickled vegetables—yet they wouldn’t suggest avoiding kimchi at meals. 

The WHO press release from 2023 states: “JECFA also considered the evidence on cancer risk, in animal and human studies, and concluded that the evidence of an association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans is not convincing.” 

As part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle, aspartame can be used to further public health objectives on sugar intake reduction and ultimately assist in weight and diabetes management, as well as with dental health

For media inquiries, please contact media@sweeteners.org.

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