According to a senior official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Indian government is asserting its autonomy by establishing its own regulations regarding artificial sweeteners like aspartame. The official emphasized that the government is not bound to comply with the guidelines put forth by international agencies in this matter.
“We don’t have to follow the West or East as India is in a powerful situation..we are working on what the effect of consuming aspartame or other sweeteners can have on the Indian population,” FSSAI Advisor HS Oberoi said on Thursday, while addressing a conclave by the Indian Beverages Association (IBA), which represents Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Red Bull and Dabur among other beverage companies.
Last week, Reuters published a report stating that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), is preparing to publish a report suggesting that aspartame could be categorized as a potential cancer risk for humans. Aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in products such as Diet Coke, ice cream, and chewing gum, may face increased scrutiny due to this upcoming IARC report. The report is expected to be released on July 14, and its findings could have far-reaching implications for the consumption of low-sugar and diet beverages as well as foods.
Read More: WHO’s cancer agency set to declare popular sweetener aspartame as “possible carcinogenic”
Oberoi stated that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will establish guidelines and thresholds for the usage of artificial sweeteners. These guidelines will be determined through the FSSAI’s own risk assessment studies and in collaboration with various stakeholders, including food and beverage companies, scientists, and government agencies.
“We don’t have to go by what the world says..our regulation will be based on what our scientists feel is good for the Indian population, based on risk assessment studies and in consultation with all stakeholders,” he said.
In a previous announcement, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued conditional guidelines stating that non-sugar sweeteners, such as aspartame and stevia, do not contribute to weight loss and may potentially raise the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The WHO emphasized that substituting free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) does not effectively aid in long-term weight management. Furthermore, the organization highlighted that NSS are not essential components of a healthy diet and lack nutritional value.
Read More: WHO’s latest guideline advises against using artificial sweeteners for weight management
