nutrasweet banned
Iceland stores ban sweetener in tumour link fear
27th October 1999
Dominic Rushe
ICELAND, the grocer, will announce this week that it is banning aspartame,
the artificial sweetener better known as NutraSweet, from its own- label
foods.
The move follows growing concern among consumers about a possible link
between the sweetener and brain tumours. Aspartame is consumed by 250m
people worldwide and has been used in low-calorie food and drinks such as
Diet Coke for 20 years.
But in recent years there have been increasing fears about possible health
risks. The compound has been linked to multiple sclerosis and even Gulf war
syndrome.
These worries, spread on the internet, are hotly disputed by NutraSweet's
owner, Monsanto, the GM (genetically modified) food giant.
Iceland will become the first national grocers' chain to impose a ban and
the move will be closely watched by its larger rivals. Iceland is trying to
reposition itself as a "green" grocer and has already banned other
artificial colours and flavourings from its own goods.
Malcolm Walker, Iceland's chairman, was the first grocer to ban GM foods and
coined the term "Frankenstein foods". The move will spark a full- scale row
between the grocery chain and Monsanto.
A NutraSweet spokeswoman said: "Iceland is spreading alarm when it should be
reassuring customers. The web has become a real problem [and ] there is a
lot of misinformation about."
An Iceland executive said that the company will tell staff tomorrow that it
will no longer supply food with aspartame under its own label and will be
switching to other artificial sweeteners. The company will continue to sell
branded products that contain NutraSweet such as Diet Coke.
The grocer's executives recently held talks with the International
Sweeteners Association, which represents the multi-billion-pound industry.
But despite being given assurances that NutraSweet was perfectly safe,
Iceland decided to impose a ban.
King's College, London, is conducting a three-year study to establish
whether there is a link between aspartame and brain tumours. Reports in
America have found conflicting evidence of a link. There, 20 billion cans of
soft drink are consumed each year, most containing NutraSweet.
Bill Wadsworth, Iceland's technical director, said a full-scale ban was
being considered. "We are taking the matter seriously because of the weight
of customer pressure we are coming under."
Monsanto is in the process of selling its sweetener division. Protests from
consumers and environmental groups in Europe - many debating the issue on
the internet - have hurt the company's growth prospects and its stock market
value has plummeted.
Wadsworth said: "Clearly the internet is playing a major role bringing this
debate to public attention."