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Aspartame

Aspartame, a low-calorie artificial sweetener, has been permitted for use as a food additive in Canada since 1981 in a number of foods including soft drinks, desserts, breakfast cereals and chewing gum and is also available as a table-top sweetener. It is made by the bonding together of the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine, which are normal constituents of proteins, to form a dipeptide which is further esterified with methanol.

In Canada, food additives such as aspartame are subjected to rigorous controls under the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations. Before any food additive is permitted for use, manufacturers are required to file a food additive submission in accordance with Section B.16.002 of the Regulations. A submission must contain detailed information, including the results of safety tests, as well as information respecting the utility and potential benefits to the consumer of the additive in question.

Before consideration was given to permitting aspartame for use in foods in Canada, officials of Health Canada evaluated an extensive array of toxicological tests in laboratory animals and, since its listing for use, they have examined the results of a number of clinical studies in humans. There is no evidence to suggest that the consumption of foods containing this sweetener, according to the provisions of the Food and Drug Regulations and as part of a well-balanced diet, would pose a health hazard to consumers. In addition, other scientific advisory bodies such as the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Community, and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization have reviewed all the available safety studies and have found aspartame to be safe. More than ninety countries world-wide, including the United States, countries of the European Union, and Australia and New Zealand, have also reviewed aspartame and found it to be safe for human consumption and allow its use in various foods.

Although aspartame can be safely consumed by most healthy individuals, it has long been recognized that excessive intake of phenylalanine, one of the constituent amino acids of aspartame, can pose a hazard to individuals suffering from an inherited metabolic disorder called phenylketonuria. For this reason, all foods containing aspartame must indicate on the label the presence of phenylalanine.

An acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 40 milligrams/kilogram of body weight/day was established by scientists in the Food Directorate of Health Canada. This ADI is recognized internationally and is the same as that established by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO).

As part of a post-market surveillance program, a study was conducted in 1987 to monitor the actual consumption of aspartame in Canada. This study which involved 5200 Canadian households and 7500 individuals, demonstrated that the actual consumption of aspartame was well below the recommended ADI even during the warmest period of the year when soft drink consumption would be expected to be high. Furthermore, follow-up studies on human subjects revealed that no adverse effects were observed even when humans were exposed to higher intakes than the established ADI.

Last Updated: 2005-10-14 Top