The discussion at the symposium also highlighted the importance of media in the communications process. "Given the massive amount of misinformation on low-calorie sweeteners, which is continuously being recycled, it is important that responsible media sources provide consumers with information about the conclusions of safety assessments that are undertaken by independent regulatory authorities such as the WHO/FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives and the European Food Safety Authority," explained Professor Renwick in his presentation.

Professor L?¶fstedt believes that the media plays a key role in helping consumers understand which scientific sources are credible, "One way to start this process would be to have a media communication checklist that could help journalists better differentiate between risk, uncertainty, science and pure lobbying."

L?¶fstedt added that he sees an important communications role for regulators themselves, "There needs to be a better, wider understanding of the extensive work regulators do in the area of food safety. Regulators need to become better risk communicators and help to make their world more accessible to consumers."

Professor Carlo La Vecchia and Professor Tur-Mari, moderators of the symposium, concluded the event by stating that healthcare professionals cannot overcome this challenge on their own: "Despite a large amount of evidence of absence of health risk of low calorie sweeteners, the public is subject to repeated alarms. We'd like to see regulatory authorities and media professionals, as trusted advisors to consumers, continuing to work together as a combined force to separate low-calorie sweetener fact from fiction in a concerted effort to finally banish misinformation."

In the European Union, nine low-calorie sweeteners are approved for use in foodstuffs. These are acesulfame-K (E950), aspartame (E951), aspartame-acesulfame salt (E962), cyclamate (E952), neohesperidine DC (E959), saccharin (E954), sucralose (E955), thaumatin (E957) and neotame (E961).

SOURCE Nutrition Research Foundation