WHO must list Coke Zero sweetener as a carcinogen

A review of aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in many products, is causing concern among people and large companies such as Coca-Cola.

The artificial sweetener is under evaluation by the WHO (World Health Organization) and may be classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, according to the Reuters agency.

The news brought a worrying warning, since aspartame is used in the composition of the Coca-cola zero, chewing gum and others diet products widely marketed in the world.

Research on the artificial sweetener is being carried out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Iarc). According to the sources, the study was completed in June and the result will be released in July 2023.

This fact explains the apprehension of companies and consumers, who have always defended the use of the sweetener in low-calorie products.

What do the experts say about the sweetener in Coca-Cola Zero?

WHO research is being carried out to determine what are the dangers of consuming products with artificial sweetener.

In May 2023, the institution had already warned that some artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, may have “potential undesirable effects”.

The suggestion was based on long-term consumption with records of mortality, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Despite the relevance of the study, other experts claim that aspartame is one of the most researched ingredients in history.

Including, Coca-Cola added to its website the information that the artificial sweetener already had more than 200 scientific studies that proved its safety.

Even so, the disclosure of the WHO can generate numerous conflicts between companies and consumers. In similar cases in the past, many people became concerned and stopped consuming the products; in other cases, manufacturers were legally accused or had to change their compositions to continue operating in the market.

Coca-Cola losses with WHO classification

According to the experts, the classification damage will not considerably affect multinational companies such as Coca-Cola.

For Charlie Higgs, partner at Redburn, in the product research branch, Coca-Cola is a manufacturer that has numerous production systems. In addition, she has already overcome different obstacles and determinations of the same nature.

Another important point is that only one third of Coca-Cola's total sales are products that have aspartame in their composition.

Therefore, the beverage company will have the structure to change the beverages low calorie without much damage, if the WHO releases data on the carcinogenic potential in July.