Splenda is in the spotlight as calls to limit aspartame grow

The Italian research institute that claimed to have identified a link between aspartame -- a widely-used artificial sweetener -- and cancer, is to turn the spotlight on sucralose in a new study, beginning at the end of this year.

The research by the Ramazzini Foundation for cancer research in Bologna into sucralose, made by Tate & Lyle under the name Splenda, could last eight years.

Splenda is used by Coca-Cola in some versions of Diet Coke sold in the US and was approved for sale in the UK in February. "We congratulated Coca-Cola on this important step to lead the way away from aspartame," said Kathryn Knowles, director of resource development at Ramazzini, but she added that all sweeteners likely to be widely consumed needed to be carefully studied.

Ramazzini claimed a higher incidence of lymphomas and leukaemias in female rats when aspartame was administered "at dose levels very close to the acceptable daily intake for humans". Initial results showed a "statistically significant" increase at consumption of 20mg/kg of body weight -- accepted daily intake is 50mg/kg in the US and 40mg/kg in the European Union. It called for an urgent rethink on aspartame consumption limits.

Further results of the long-term study will be presented at a conference in Bologna next month.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is reviewing the results and carrying out a risk assessment, but will not report for months: "EFSA does not currently have a basis for recommending any changes in consumers' diets in respect of aspartame."

Ajinomoto, which makes aspartame, has questioned the results of the latest study, and claimed it was "not consistent with the extensive body of scientific research which exists on aspartame". It referred to a review of Ramazzini's work by the US Food and Drug Administration which, it said, concluded the Italian data was "unreliable"

Knowles defended the foundation: "We are not surprised that an industry with these kinds of commercial interests to protect would have this kind of response. The interest that we are trying to protect is that of public health."

Meanwhile, Cargill is restructuring its Cerestar sweeteners production in the UK and moving from corn to wheat-based glucose. It will close its Tilbury plant at the end of December with the loss of 95 jobs and consolidate production at Manchester where it plans to invest to process about 0.75mt of wheat a year.

Manchester will also see job losses as production of starch and dextrose is moved to other sites. Construction of the wheat plant will begin at the end of 2005 and is due to be completed in 2007.