Aspartame 'possible carcinogen' but safe at present level: WHO

Scientists with no links to the WHO reviews said the evidence that aspartame caused cancer was weak

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The sweetener aspartame is a "possible carcinogen" but it remains safe to consume at already-agreed levels, two groups linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday.

The rulings are the outcome of two separate WHO expert panels, one of which flags whether there is any evidence that a substance is a potential hazard and the other which assesses how much of a real-life risk that substance actually poses.

Aspartame is one of the world's most popular sweeteners, used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum.

In a press conference ahead of the announcement, the WHO's head of nutrition, Francesco Branca, suggested consumers weighing beverage choices consider neither aspartame nor sweetener.

"If consumers are faced with the decision of whether to take cola with sweeteners or one with sugar, I think there should be a third option considered - which is to drink water instead," Branca said.

In its first declaration on the additive, announced early on Friday, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), based in Lyon, France, said aspartame was a "possible carcinogen".

That classification means there is limited evidence a substance can cause cancer.