[THS] Aspartame renamed, now being marketed as a natural sweetener

[Peter Webster]

Aspartame has been renamed and is now being marketed as a natural sweetener
by Ethan Huff, citizen journalist

http://www.NaturalNews.com/z028151_aspartame_sweeteners.html

(NaturalNews) In response to growing awareness about the dangers of artificial
sweeteners, what does the manufacturer of one of the world's most notable artificial
sweeteners do? Why, rename it and begin marketing it as natural, of course. This is
precisely the strategy of Ajinomoto, maker of aspartame, which hopes to pull the
wool over the eyes of the public with its rebranded version of aspartame, called
"AminoSweet".

Over 25 years ago, aspartame was first introduced into the European food supply.
Today, it is an everyday component of most diet beverages, sugar-free desserts, and
chewing gums in countries worldwide. But the tides have been turning as the
general public is waking up to the truth about artificial sweeteners like aspartame
and the harm they cause to health. The latest aspartame marketing scheme is a
desperate effort to indoctrinate the public into accepting the chemical sweetener as
natural and safe, despite evidence to the contrary.

Aspartame was an accidental discovery by James Schlatter, a chemist who had been
trying to produce an anti-ulcer pharmaceutical drug for G.D. Searle & Company back
in 1965. Upon mixing aspartic acid and phenylalanine, two naturally-occurring amino
acids, he discovered that the new compound had a sweet taste. The company merely
changed its FDA approval application from drug to food additive and, voila,
aspartame was born.

G.D. Searle & Company first patented aspartame in 1970. An internal memo released
in the same year urged company executives to work on getting the FDA into the
"habit of saying yes" and of encouraging a "subconscious spirit of participation" in
getting the chemical approved.

G.D. Searle & Company submitted its first petition to the FDA in 1973 and fought for
years to gain FDA approval, submitting its own safety studies that many believed
were inadequate and deceptive. Despite numerous objections, including one from its
own scientists, the company was able to convince the FDA to approve aspartame for
commercial use in a few products in 1974, igniting a blaze of controversy.

In 1976, then FDA Commissioner Alexander Schmidt wrote a letter to Sen. Ted
Kennedy expressing concern over the "questionable integrity of the basic safety data
submitted for aspartame safety". FDA Chief Counsel Richard Merrill believed that a
grand jury should investigate G.D. Searle & Company for lying about the safety of
aspartame in its reports and for concealing evidence proving the chemical is unsafe
for consumption.

Despite the myriad of evidence gained over the years showing that aspartame is a
dangerous toxin, it has remained on the global market with the exception of a few
countries that have banned it. In fact, it continued to gain approval for use in new
types of food despite evidence showing that it causes neurological brain damage,
cancerous tumors, and endocrine disruption, among other things.

The details of aspartame's history are lengthy, but the point remains that the
carcinogen was illegitimately approved as a food additive through heavy-handed
prodding by a powerful corporation with its own interests in mind. Practically all
drugs and food additives are approved by the FDA not because science shows they
are safe but because companies essentially lobby the FDA with monetary payoffs and
complete the agency's multi-million dollar approval process.

Changing aspartame's name to something that is "appealing and memorable", in
Ajinomoto's own words, may hoodwink some but hopefully most will reject this clever
marketing tactic as nothing more than a desperate attempt to preserve the
company's multi-billion dollar cash cow. Do not be deceived.

Sources:

Ajinomoto brands aspartame 'AminoSweet' - FoodBev.com

Aspartame History Highlights - Janet Starr Hull

FDA's approval of aspartame under scrutiny - The Globe and Mail (Canada)

An Overdue Ban On A Dangerous Sweetener - Huffington Post