What is aspartame and why it could reduce the consumption of diet sodas

Aspartame, one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners by the diet beverage industry, has been classified as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO), although at the same time safe as long as limits are set.

Last Thursday, two WHO committees released separate reports on the safety of aspartame. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) labeled it as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, but the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the WHO and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Food (FAO) considered that the sugar substitute it is safe for consumption within daily limits.

This ingredient is one of the most common sweeteners and is widely used in low-calorie foods and beverages such as Coca Cola light and the Pepsi light because, although it contains calories like normal sugar, it is used in less quantity because it is 200 times sweeter.

It has also been included in sugar-free gelatin; tabletop sweeteners like Nutrasweet and Equal; Trident and Crystal Light sugar free gums.

The WHO decision comes after a 2022 study published in PLOS Medicine found a relationship between the consumption of high amounts of aspartame and an increased risk of developing breast cancer and cancer related to obesity.

Another study published in December 2022 found that the sweetener was linked to anxiety in mice, with the effect lasting up to two generations.

It should be noted that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of aspartame as a tabletop sweetener and dry base for some foods, such as beverages, jellies, dairy products, and puddings in 1974 (approved as a general sweetener in 1996).

What does Coca Cola say?

In a statement emailed to ForbesAmerican Beverage, which represents several companies including Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, defended the safety of aspartame and stated that multiple food safety agencies such as the FDA “continue to consider safe,” and dismissed IARC as “not a food safety agency.”

For beverage companies, the use of aspartame is key to continue producing its ‘zero sugar’ drinks, a category 50% more popular with higher-income consumers than with low-income people, according to TD Cowen data.

Not to mention that ‘sugar-free’ drinks have been an attractive focus for the beverage category in recent years.

The financial director of PepsiCoMr Hugh Johnston told Reuters on Thursday that the company has no plans to change its use of aspartame. He added that the company does not include the sweetener in much of its portfolio.