EFSA postpones deadline for aspartame safety review

By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

- Last updated on GMT

EFSA says it needs more time to consider and address feedback
EFSA says it needs more time to consider and address feedback

Related tags Efsa European food safety authority

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Commission have said they will extend the timeframe for the re-evaluation of aspartame to allow time to consider and address feedback.

EFSA said it would push back the deadline for its full re-evaluation from May to November 2013.

The food safety body received more than 200 comments during the online phase of its consultation on the safety of aspartame, following publication of its draft scientific opinion on the sweetener in January. Public consultation on aspartame's safety concluded with a public meeting held last month, and EFSA says it needs more time to consider feedback, which it said included new information.

"From the comments received, experts on EFSA’s Scientific Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS Panel) have identified aspects of their draft opinion and key steps in their scientific approach that they would like to clarify further, including the expression of uncertainties, before finalising their conclusions,"​ EFSA said in a statement. "This will ensure that EFSA’s scientific advice fully integrates information received and that those with an interest in this work will be able to easily understand how the Panel derived its conclusions."

It said that comments included issues such as how EFSA’s experts select studies for its risk assessments, the safety of the metabolites of aspartame and how best to express uncertainties highlighted in the draft opinion.

The draft opinion was based on a review of more than 600 studies, and again found that current consumption levels were safe for the general population.

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.

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2 comments

Idiot

Posted by Batman,

None of what you listed includes credible studies nor is your information accurate, FIND credible studies linking what you claim and we might take you more seriously....... did you not read above? OVER 600 actual CREDIBLE and scientific studies found it safe for consumption ........ pull your head out of the orifice that churns out this conspiracy diarrhea.

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methanol toxicity from aspartame and cigarettes -- becomes formaldehyde in human cells

Posted by Rich Murray,

methanol toxicity from aspartame and cigarettes -- is made into formaldehyde inside human cells -- Woodrow C Monte paradigm: Rich Murray 2013.05.14

The public EFSA session on aspartame safety on April 9 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...

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.

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

autism as a birth defect from epigenetic methylation by formaldehyde made from methanol by ADH1 enzyme inside Purkinje cells in vermis in cerebellum and in inner walls of brain blood vessels -- Prof. WC Monte paradigm: Rich Murray 2013.04.26

http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2013/04/autism-as-birth-defect-from-epigenetic.html

"As a matter of course, every soul citizen of Earth has a priority to quickly find and positively share evidence for healthy and safe food, drink, environment, and society."

within the fellowship of service,



Rich Murray,

MA Boston University Graduate School 1967 psychology,BS MIT 1964 history and physics, 254-A Donax Avenue, Imperial Beach, CA 91932-1918, rmforall@gmail.com ,505-819-7388 cell, 619-623-3468 home, http://rmforall.blogspot.com

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