Product study for aspartame content is included in many Roskachestvo test programs
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Reuters reports that as of July 14, the WHO is updating the list of potential carcinogens, which includes a popular and very common sugar substitute: aspartame. We said that aspartame is part of many “diet” soft drinks, including colas abroad and their counterparts in our country, chewing gum, ice cream and confectionery.
Previously, aspartame was allowed not only at the WHO level, but also at the World Food Organization level, therefore it was used in the food industry all over the world, including Russia and the countries of the Customs Union.
WHAT ARE THE DOSES ALLOWED NOW?
The FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the European Commission Scientific Committee on Food have determined that the safe intake of aspartame is 40 mg per kg of body weight.
This means that a person weighing 50 kg can eat around 2 g per day.
Considering that aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar, you should drink 4-6 liters of soda sweetened with this additive.
This is what Roskachestvo experts say about aspartame.
EXPERT COMMENTS
Vladimir Bessonov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Head of the Food Chemistry Laboratory of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Federal Center for Research in Nutrition and Biotechnology: There is no general consensus on aspartame
– In 2019, studies were conducted that confirmed the complete safety of all sweeteners in terms of carcinogenicity, this applies to aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and many others. However, with regard to aspartame, it was decided to study it in more detail. And then there was a French study that showed that aspartame could probably still be a carcinogen. However, there are questions about the study, for example, regarding the sample. The researchers followed 108,000 people who chose diet foods (including those containing aspartame) for personal reasons. Very often among them were overweight and obese people, which in itself is a risk factor for various diseases, including cancer. As a result, it is difficult to assess whether aspartame could actually affect the development of cancer in consumers of products with sweeteners, or is it for another reason?
Therefore, in the context of such issues, it is important to understand if there is any scientific consensus, a consolidated opinion of experts. So far, as far as the dangers of aspartame, there are none.
Lilia Kotelnikova, head of the testing department of the Roskachestvo Research Department: Aspartame is allowed in Russia and is used in confectionery
– The study of products for aspartame content is included in many Roskachestvo test programs (of course, where appropriate). In 2022, we do not record excesses of the amount allowed for the content of this sweetener in soft drinks (for example, in Kola). And they did not even find additives in the chewing jam, despite the fact that aspartame was listed in the composition. There was no kvass, condensed milk, etc.
According to TR CU 029, aspartame is approved for use in Russia. For example, in sugary drinks no more than 600 mg per kg of product is allowed; in sugar-free confectionery – 1 g per kg of product, and in low-calorie starch-based confectionery – 2 g per kg. Since few people eat 1-2 kg of cake per day and/or drink about 3 liters of soda, it is difficult to exceed the WHO prescribed daily intake of aspartame (as a result, it turns out to be about 40-50 mg per 1 kg). of body weight).
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