Brussels, 17/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - Expected for the month of May, the new scientific opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on aspartame, an artificial sweetener that gives rise to considerable controversy due to its potential risks and undesirable side effects on health, will finally be published in November unless it is deferred yet again (see EUROPE 10824).
EFSA and the European Commission have, by common accord, agreed to give EFSA scientists more time to make a complete re-assessment of aspartame safety. The extra time will be used to examine the new information received further to the public consultation organised from 9 January to 15 February on the EFSA draft opinion published early in the year, and to respond to the very many contributions (219) received by EFSA and discussed in April with all stakeholders - scientific experts of the relevant member state authorities, NGOs, representatives of the agri-food industry, consumer defence organisations, and universities (see EUROPE 10824). We would point out that, in this preliminary opinion, EFSA had reaffirmed that the acceptable daily dose of aspartame (40 mg per kilo of body weight) was safe.
Initially due end September 2012, publication of the EFSA opinion had already been deferred, as the authority had to gather additional scientific information from all interested parties on DKP (5-benzyl-3.6-dioxo-2-piperazine-acetic acid) and other primary and secondary sub-products of the aspartame metabolism that could form in foodstuffs and drinks when stored in certain conditions. In May 2011, the European Commission had called on EFSA to provide a further complete evaluation in 2012 on how safe it was to use aspartame. (AN/transl.jl)