What the authorities say about the Ramazzini paper

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Based on current evidence on the safety of aspartame, EFSA does not recommend that consumers who wish to choose foods containing aspartame make any changes to their dietary habits.

Source: EFSA press release 29 November 2005

EFSA does not consider it appropriate to suggest any change in consumers' diets relative to aspartame on the basis of the information it currently has.

Source: EFSA press release 14 July 2005

United Kingdom government: Caroline Flint, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health

The current advice from the Food Standards Agency remains in place, namely that aspartame is safe for use in food.

Source: Hansard record of the debate on artificial sweeteners held on 14 December, 2005

United Kingdom Department of Health Committee on Carcinogenicity (COC)

Members considered that it was implausible that there should be only a small increase in a tumour incidence over such a wide range of doses. They also commented that there may be a reasonable explanation for the differing historical control figures but that the low incidence in the female control group compared to all other groups cast doubt on the study. Members were critical of the study design in that rats were allowed to live until a natural death. It was noted that the statistical approach used, although survival-related, did not fully adjust for age-related effects. The study will be evaluated formally by the EFSA.

Source: Draft minutes of the meeting of the committee meeting held on 14 July, available from the COC web site.

United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The FDA has not recommended any changes to the use of aspartame.  George Pauli, of the FDA office of food additive safety, has stated "We have seen a lot of very solid data and are very comfortable with it."

Source: Nature 18 November 2005

Food Safety Authority of Ireland

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland considers that the findings need to be carefully evaluated by EFSA before their significance for the safety of aspartame can be determined. FSAI awaits further details to become available, either from EFSA or from the institute that carried out the studies on aspartame. In the meantime, FSAI concurs with the EFSA view that there is no basis for recommending any changes in consumers' diets in respect of aspartame, given the limited information currently available regarding the new study.

Source: FSAI web site

Health Canada

... based on the limited new information available, Health Canada does not have a basis for recommending any dietary changes relating to the use of aspartame.

Source: Health Canada web site 18 July 2005

Brazil: Technical Chamber on Foods

There are no statistical data which show a direct link between the development of (lymphomas and leukaemia in rats) and the consumption of aspartame.

There are no public health reasons with a scientific basis to prohibit aspartame or to recommend a change in the diet of the population.

Source: Technical Report 19 January, 2006

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