The UK Parliamentarian Roger Williams has called for a ban on an artificial sweetener aspartame, which is used in the production of 6,000 types of medicines, food and drinks. He said that there was definite evidence that the sweetener, which is used in cereal, chocolate and cola, may cause cancer. The European Ramazzini Foundation has published reports that aspartame caused cancer in rats. Doses of the sweetener resulted in leukaemias and lymphomas in female rats, according to the Ramazzini Foundation study.
Williams who has the support of leading scientists on the subject has also called for products containing aspartame being withdrawn from the shelves of the country. He also went on to add that the legal teams of the sweetener industry had managed to suppress a debate with regard to the product. Williams also accused the regulators across the world of having failed to protect the public by licensing aspartame, which is produced by Searle. Sound science had been rejected by the people who gave their approval for aspartame, Williams added. He also said that aspartame is far more dangerous than the banned food dye Sudan 1.Caroline Flint, the Public Health Minister responded by saying that a review concerning the safety of aspartame had already been conducted in 2001.On an average one out of every 15 persons across the world consumes the product.
The Italian study will be reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Artificial sweeteners are known to contribute towards controlling obesity.
