Here at Sip & Savor, we’ve blogged over the years about the benefits and safety of low-calorie sweeteners. We do this because we think it’s important to share the facts with you.  Why?  Because your in-boxes and RSS feeds probably get filled with a lot of personal opinions or unsubstantiated statements on these ingredients that are found in thousands of foods and beverages.  And after all, low-calorie sweeteners have been approved by regulatory agencies around the globe, including FDA, as safe for use  in foods and beverages.

Just last month we shared news from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on one low-calorie sweetener in particular – aspartame.  What is EFSA?  It is the “keystone” of European Union (EU) risk assessment on food and feed safety.  As an independent European agency funded by the EU budget, it operates separately from the European Commission, European Parliament an EU Member States.  It is a highly respected and credible organization and recently issued the most extensive and comprehensive review of aspartame to date.

And what did they find?

That EFSA’s previous position on aspartame still held true, even after reviewing any new literature on this topic.  In fact, EFSA confirmed that aspartame remains safe for consumption by the general population – even by pregnant women.  And although we know you probably see things that allege aspartame causes all kinds of negative health outcomes, these experts concluded that aspartame does not cause cancer, harm the brain or nervous system or affect behavior or cognitive function in children or adults.

So if you have safety concerns about the aspartame in your yogurt, chewing gum or diet soft drink … put them aside.  But you don’t have to take it from us, just listen to the experts.