EFSA to Assess Risk of Aspartame

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) is taking another look at the safety of aspartame. At the request of the European Commission (EC) in May, EFSA will begin reevaluating the low-calorie sweetener. Its verdict is scheduled for release next year.

The agency has issued a call for public comment, with a deadline of September 30 of this year.

“This call, running from 1 June to 30 September 2011, has been launched to ensure that EFSA’s risk assessment of the safety of aspartame will be the most thorough and up-to-date yet. To complete its evaluation, EFSA requires all available scientific and technical data – published, unpublished and newly generated – related to the use of aspartame in food and drinks and as a table-top sweetener,” EFSA stated.

Aspartame is a low-calorie, intense sweetener, approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. European legislation harmonizing its use in foodstuffs was introduced in 1994.