FSSAI to assess WHO rules on sweeteners

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it would look at the impact of non-sugar sweeteners on the Indian population via an expert panel and engage with stakeholders before concluding any adverse effects of such additives used in foods and beverages.

- Suneera Tandon

FSSAI’s comments follow news reports that said aspartame, a commonly used artificial sweetener, is set to be declared as a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO).

"We will look at the Indian perspective. We really don’t have to go with what the world says. A lot of recommendations keep coming out. We have to look at the Indian population...then only we will take the decision," H.S. Oberoi, an adviser at the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), said while addressing a panel at an industry event in the capital on Thursday.