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EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY RECONFIRMS ASPARTAME'S CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH
Scientific Committee on Food Reaffirms Safety of the Popular Low-Calorie Sweetener

ATLANTA (December 19, 2002) - The food safety authority in Europe, the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) of the European Commission, has reconfirmed aspartame's clean bill of health following a comprehensive review of the sweetener's safety. The SCF is a body of independent scientific experts which advises the European Commission on matters of food safety; its aspartame report was issued on December 10. The SCF noted, "The Committee concluded that on the basis of its review of all the data in animals and humans available to date, there is no evidence to suggest that there is a need to revise the outcome…" of the prior endorsement of aspartame's safety.

According to the Calorie Control Council, this new report, in conjunction with the favorable review of aspartame's safety earlier in 2002 by the French Food Safety Agency, should put to rest one of the most persistent health rumors that has been circulating on the Internet in recent years.

The SCF initially evaluated aspartame's safety in 1984, when it first concluded that the low-calorie sweetener was safe. However, in light of some anecdotal reports and allegations, the SCF decided to conduct a thorough review of aspartame's safety and the latest research findings. The latest SCF report is the result of an exhaustive evaluation of hundreds of articles related to aspartame's safety that have been published in the scientific literature since 1988.

Lyn Nabors, executive vice president of the Calorie Control Council, noted, "The reaffirmation of aspartame's safety by the EC Scientific Committee on Food provides overwhelmingly strong scientific support for this beneficial food ingredient. This authoritative conclusion, in addition to the numerous previous confirmations of aspartame's safety by regulatory bodies around the world, will hopefully put an end to the unsubstantiated health concerns being promulgated on the Internet and any other misinformation sources."

On December 18, 2002, the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued a statement announcing that "the Agency supports the conclusions of the Committee's thorough and timely review on the safety of the sweetener." The FSA had pressed the European Commission to review the safety of aspartame at the earliest opportunity and provided assistance in preparing a summary report for consideration by the SCF.

In addition to the SCF, the safety of aspartame has been confirmed on 26 separate occasions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past 23 years alone, making it one of the most thoroughly studied food ingredients ever. Aspartame has been extensively studied in animals and humans for more than three decades in more than 200 studies. In fact, when aspartame was approved by the FDA, the FDA Commissioner noted, "Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety."

The World Health Organization's Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), in addition to regulatory agencies in more than 100 countries, have found aspartame to be safe and not associated with adverse health effects. The American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs, the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association also support its safety.

For more information about the safety and the benefits of aspartame, as well as its use in thousands of low-calorie and sugar-free products, log on to www.caloriecontrol.org and www.aspartame.org. To view the full report by the SCF, visit:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/out155_en.pdf.

The Calorie Control Council is an international non-profit association representing the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry.

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