EFSA has unequivocally re-confirmed the safety of aspartame, rejecting the conclusions of a study by the Ramazzini Institute.

The EFSA panel concluded that "there is no need to further review the safety of aspartame nor to revise the previously established Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for aspartame".

This opinion from EFSA is completely consistent with the global scientific consensus that aspartame is safe. Extensive scientific research over decades and regulatory reviews conducted by numerous national and international food safety authorities, together with a history of more than twenty years safe use, support the conclusion that aspartame is safe.

Asked whether this latest confirmation 'closes the book' on questions relating to aspartame safety, Dr Susan Barlow, chair of the panel, commented that this most recent opinion together with previous reviews, in particular that of the Scientific Committee on Food in 2002, have examined all of the scientific data relating to aspartame and concluded that the ingredient is safe.

Click HERE to download a summary, by EFSA, of the Scientific Panel's findings

Click HERE to download the full text, by EFSA, of the Scientific Panel's findings

Click HERE to download the statement by the UK Food Standards Agency following publication of the EFSA review

May 2006