Tiroler Tageszeitung, editorial, July 15, 2023 edition. By MATTHIAS CHRISTLER. "Nutrition with risks and side effects".

2023-07-14 20:00:36

Innsbruck (OTS) – A sugar substitute that has been used for 40 years has been classified as “possibly carcinogenic”. That doesn’t change the fact that consumers like to believe lies and ignore warnings for the sake of taste.

One ingredient changed the sweet world of soda pop 40 years ago: Diet colas were concocted with water, fizz, some caffeine flavor, a few unpronounceable ingredients, and a new miracle chemical sweetener. When aspartame was approved in the early 1980s, Diet Cola came onto the market. The message of healthy enjoyment without sugar was as brilliant as it was a lie – it is now becoming clear that there is a catch. On the one hand, because sweeteners, which are used as a low-calorie alternative in drinks, chewing gum and all kinds of diet products, are generally problematic. According to studies, they make you crave sweets more and get the sugar from somewhere else. On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) has specifically classified aspartame in high amounts as “possibly carcinogenic”. The formulation is not fish, not meat – because there is still too little data and the decision was probably watered down because of their own studies by lobbyists. The majority of customers listen to what is said in anyway. And not to well-intentioned but ultimately poorly communicated warnings from the WHO.
The customer is more likely to believe myths that say, for example, that children with stomach ache should drink well-stirred cola. In fact, as research shows, the drink can harm the gut flora. Opinions differ not only when it comes to taste. The fact that genetically modified food can be sold without labeling, as the EU Commission is planning, is currently the subject of heated debate. And when the WHO classified red meat as “probably carcinogenic” in 2015, the reflex was more: What actually does not increase the risk of cancer?
Many toxic substances in everyday life (in food, clothing, toys…) have been banned in recent years. The aspartame decision will not remain without consequences either. Local companies have declared that they want to replace the sweetener in their own products. Coca Cola as a global player is still silent. We will probably have to wait and see how customers in the supermarket react, whether they now pay more attention to the ingredients and avoid aspartame.
In the end, it is always the consumer who decides. And that’s a problem. The food should be sugar-free, but taste sweet. They should be fresh, cheap, always available and last a long time. Expectations that cannot be achieved without additives. This means that you already need a package leaflet with the risks and side effects for many foods. But honestly, who would read this all the way through?