LONDON (Reuters) -The sweetener aspartame is a "possible carcinogen" but it remains safe to consume at already-agreed levels, two groups linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday. Aspartame is one of the world's most popular sweeteners, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum. In a press conference ahead of the announcement, the WHO's head of nutrition, Francesco Branca, suggested consumers weighing beverage choices consider neither aspartame nor sweetener.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer will officially release its findings on July 14. Despite pushback from industry and regulatory players, it has defended its classification as intended to promote research.
The artificial sweetener aspartame is set to be declared a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organization (WHO). The IARC ruling, which is expected to be announced next month, is based on an assessment of all published evidence on the sweetener s potential hazard. The decision could have significant implications for the food industry and may lead to debates over the safety of sweeteners and the role of the IARC.
Despite the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, hundreds of Evangelical organizations saw a rise in donations from 2020 to 2021, according to a new report.