WHO declares Coca-Cola to be a carcinogen

World Health Organization (WHO) Poised to declare aspartame in Cola as potential carcinogen. The WHO is scheduled to unveil its decision regarding aspartame on July 14.

MOST PREVALENT SWEETENER
Aspartame, considered safe for consumption within established daily limits since 1981, is a commonly used sweetener worldwide. It serves as a substitute for sugar in numerous beverages like cola and diet drinks, as well as in soft drinks, fruit yogurts, milk products, breakfast cereals, pre-packaged desserts, and condiments such as ketchup. While there is no internationally accepted data concerning the diseases it might cause, some scientists suggest a possible link between aspartame and brain tumors, cognitive impairments, heart diseases, and cancer.

WHO nears categorizing widely used artificial sweetener, aspartame, as potential carcinogen. Found in medications, processed goods, and diet foods, aspartame could be labeled “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by WHO’s cancer research unit.

WIDELY USED IN OVER 90 COUNTRIES
Aspartame’s safety has undergone five evaluations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since its approval for consumption in 1981. To date, more than 90 countries have granted approval for its use. Nonetheless, the WHO recently conducted two meetings to reassess aspartame’s safety and hinted at the possibility of issuing new warnings regarding the sweetener.

ANTICIPATED ANNOUNCEMENT ON JULY 14
The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), under the auspices of the WHO, is also conducting a review of aspartame’s use. The committee’s findings are expected to be made public on July 14, coinciding with the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s announcement. The declaration of aspartame as a carcinogen may spark debates within the food industry.