EFSA completes aspartame consultation, says it needs to ‘better explain’ risk assessment

09-Apr-2013 - Last updated on 10-Apr-2013 at 11:25 GMT

EFSA is expected to finalise its opinion by next month

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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has finished its consultation on the safety of aspartame with a public meeting held on Tuesday with representatives of national food safety authorities, EU institutions, consumer groups, NGOs, academia and the food industry.

The online phase of EFSA's consultation process attracted 219 comments, and publication of its opinion - as well as responses to comments raised during the consultation - is scheduled for next month. Its draft scientific opinion, based on a review of more than 600 studies, again found that current consumption levels were safe for the general population.

Speaking in Brussels after the meeting, chair of the ANS Panel Alicja Mortensen said: “We have learned a lot from this consultation and the opportunity provided by this meeting to better understand the comments submitted. We have seen for instance that we need to better explain why we include or exclude certain studies from our risk assessment as well as the uncertainties and limitations of some of the studies available. We will consider all the points raised today very carefully in the finalisation of our opinion.”

EFSA said in January that it had found no safety concern at current intake levels, following a re-evaluation of current evidence.

The European Commission requested an urgent re-evaluation of aspartame’s safety in 2011, after studies questioning its safety, and the European Parliament’s Environmental committee pushed for a warning label for aspartame stating that it may not be suitable for pregnant women.

However, EFSA’s scientific experts have assessed these studies and claims and have found no reason to change the sweetener’s acceptable daily intake (ADI) level.

“This process has ensured that no stone has been left unturned and that the widest possible range of scientific views and information are considered before EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS Panel) adopts its opinion,” EFSA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The only group for whom EFSA considered aspartame consumption to be risky was for those with phenylketonuria, characterised by an inability to break down the amino acid phenylalanine, which is present in aspartame as well as a wide variety of other foods.

Although EFSA has reviewed new studies on aspartame in the past, this is the first full risk assessment of aspartame carried out by its ANS Panel.

2 comments

Aspartame

Posted by harry, 21 April 2013 - 22:23 GMT

Personally I will never be persuaded safety accreditation should be given to Aspartame or any of its alternatives.

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EFSA may lead the world in taking urgent positive action to apply the methanol formaldehyde toxicity paradigm of Woodrow C. Monte: Rich Murray 2013.04.10

Posted by Rich Murray, 10 April 2013 - 21:47 GMT

EFSA may lead the world in taking urgent positive action to apply the methanol formaldehyde toxicity paradigm of Woodrow C. Monte: Rich Murray 2013.04.10

The EFSA session for 5 hours included an audience of about 50 experts and 10-20 ESFA staff.

Extremely cogent multiple lines of robust evidence were briefly described that strongly support the methanol formaldehyde toxicity paradigm of Prof. Woodrow C. Monte, Prof. Food Science and Nutrition, Arizona State University, retired 2004 -- supported by an online archive of 745 free full text medical research references at www.WhileScienceSleeps.com .

It is clear that methanol is far more dangerous for chronic low level exposures than realized since 1890.

Major sources include the smoke from a pack of cigarettes, 40 mg methanol, the same as from 2 cans aspartame diet drink. It now seems likely that most cigarette diseases are actually methanol toxicity toxicity...

Methanol stays in the blood with a half-life of 3 hours, reaching every part of the body and the fetus with the bloodstream, and readily entering all cells.

Humans are uniquely vulnerable to methanol formaldehyde toxicity, as they lack a functioning catalase enzyme system, that in all other creatures serves to protect each cell against the rapid conversion of methanol into free floating formaldehyde right inside the cells of 20 specific tissues that have high levels of ADH1 enzyme.

The effects are used to good advantage in embalming and disinfection, as formaldehyde immediately bonds to and impairs DNA, RNA, and proteins, permanently disrupting cell biochemistry, cell by cell, as long as methanol is ingested -- leading to 20 specific chronic modern novel "diseases of civilization", that progress slowly and erratically, according to the ingestion of methanol from a variety of modern sources:

smoke from cigarettes, wood, and peat;

since 1983, aspartame, including from most chewing gums;

fresh tomatoes and black currants;

unfresh fruits juices vegetables cut up and preserved wet at room temperature in sealed cans jars plastic containers;

jams jellies marmalades;

smoked fermented spoiled foods;

many dark wines and liquors;

Research since 2012 specifically shows the presence of formaldehyde bonded to cellular macromolecules inside cells after methanol ingestion -- the paradigm will be confirmed in detail very quickly, as science exponentially explores this simple breakthrough.

This presents the world food industry with an unprecedented opportunity to serve the huge public good by collaborating vigorously to eliminate all methanol exposures from foods and beverages. The Net guarantees that the news and evidence will spread explosively everywhere.

within the fellowship of service, Rich Murray

Paul Thomas MD Pediatrics & Integrative Medicine, Portland OR, praises
"While Science Sleeps" at Amazon.com -- WC Monte paradigm of methanol
formaldehyde toxicity via ADH1 enzyme in 20 human tissues, including fetus: Rich Murray 2013.04.03
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2013/04/paul-thomas-md-pediatrics-integrative.html