The world’s most widely used and controversial artificial sweetener is slated to be labeled “possibly carcinogenic to humans” next month by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research arm—decades after scientists first sounded the alarm about the sugar substitute’s cancer-causing properties.
The International Agency for Research (IARC)’s external experts conducted a safety review of aspartame based on all published evidence and finalized a ruling earlier this month, two sources familiar with the process told Reuters.
The IARC’s job is to examine the cancer-causing potential of substances. Advice on how much of the product a person can safely consume will come from a separate WHO expert panel on food additives—the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)—and national regulators….