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Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that the assessment of the health impacts of the non-sugar sweetener aspartame conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as well as the World Health Organization – Food and Agriculture Organization (WHO-FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) cite “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans. However, IARC has classified aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic‟ to humans (IARC Group 2B) and JECFA accordingly has reaffirmed that the acceptable daily intake should be 40 mg/kg body weight.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has already laid down the standards for various artificial sweeteners in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011. These standards for non-caloric sweeteners and limits for use of such non-caloric sweeteners in various food products have been laid down on the basis of risk assessment and Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) established by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the limits are in harmonization with Codex Alimentarius Commission.
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prof. S.P. Baghel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha yesterday.
