Aspartame - Safety and Approval Controversies

Safety and Approval Controversies

Aspartame has been found to be safe for human consumption by more than ninety countries worldwide, with FDA officials describing aspartame as "one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency has ever approved" and its safety as "clear cut", but has been the subject of several controversies, hoaxes and health scares.

Initially aspartame was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974, however, problems with Searle's safety testing program including testing of aspartame were discovered subsequently. The approval was rescinded the following year, but after outside reviews of the problematic tests and additional testing, final approval was granted in 1981. Because allegations of conflicts of interest marred the FDA's approval of aspartame, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reviewed the actions of involved officials in 1986 and the approval process in 1987; neither the allegations of conflict of interest nor problems in the final approval process were substantiated.

A widely circulated email hoax cited aspartame as the cause of numerous diseases. The Center for Disease Control investigated and was unable to find any significant epidemiological associations to serious risk or harm.

The weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener. Reviews conducted by regulatory agencies decades after aspartame was first approved have supported its continued availability.