EFSA completes aspartame consultation, says it needs to ‘better explain’ risk assessment

09-Apr-2013 - Last updated on 10-Apr-2013 at 11:25 GMT

EFSA is expected to finalise its opinion by next month

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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has finished its consultation on the safety of aspartame with a public meeting held on Tuesday with representatives of national food safety authorities, EU institutions, consumer groups, NGOs, academia and the food industry.

The online phase of EFSA's consultation process attracted 219 comments, and publication of its opinion - as well as responses to comments raised during the consultation - is scheduled for next month. Its draft scientific opinion, based on a review of more than 600 studies, again found that current consumption levels were safe for the general population.

Speaking in Brussels after the meeting, chair of the ANS Panel Alicja Mortensen said: “We have learned a lot from this consultation and the opportunity provided by this meeting to better understand the comments submitted. We have seen for instance that we need to better explain why we include or exclude certain studies from our risk assessment as well as the uncertainties and limitations of some of the studies available. We will consider all the points raised today very carefully in the finalisation of our opinion.”

EFSA said in January that it had found no safety concern at current intake levels, following a re-evaluation of current evidence.

The European Commission requested an urgent re-evaluation of aspartame’s safety in 2011, after studies questioning its safety, and the European Parliament’s Environmental committee pushed for a warning label for aspartame stating that it may not be suitable for pregnant women.

However, EFSA’s scientific experts have assessed these studies and claims and have found no reason to change the sweetener’s acceptable daily intake (ADI) level.

“This process has ensured that no stone has been left unturned and that the widest possible range of scientific views and information are considered before EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS Panel) adopts its opinion,” EFSA said in a statement on Tuesday.

The only group for whom EFSA considered aspartame consumption to be risky was for those with phenylketonuria, characterised by an inability to break down the amino acid phenylalanine, which is present in aspartame as well as a wide variety of other foods.

Although EFSA has reviewed new studies on aspartame in the past, this is the first full risk assessment of aspartame carried out by its ANS Panel.