Food safety agency to keep current aspartame regulations

Bottles of makgeolli, a traditional Korean liquor made from rice, are displayed at a supermarket in Seoul on Friday. [NEWS1]

The Korean food safety agency decided to keep its current regulations regarding the use of aspartame, despite the World Health Organization (WHO)'s earlier classification of the artificial sweetener as a possible carcinogen.

However, the domestic food industry is proactively substituting aspartame with other materials in response to consumers' already-negative perception.

Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on Friday that aspartame is safe for consumption and that the acceptable daily intake (ADI) standard of 40 milligrams per kilogram will remain unchanged. This amount is equivalent to a 60-kilogram adult consuming 55 cans of zero-calorie cola, or 33 bottles of makgeolli (Korean rice wine), daily. However, the average consumption in Korea is currently only 0.12 percent of this intake, the ministry explained.

The ministry's decision follows the announcement by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (Jecfa), which stated that current levels of aspartame consumption do not pose safety concerns.

Aspartame, an artificial sweetener with the same calorie content as sugar (4 calories per gram) but 200 times sweeter, has been widely used in Korea, particularly in beverages including zero-sugar drinks and makgeolli that aim to reduce sugar content and calorie intake.

However, concerns about its potential carcinogenicity last month raised concerns among companies that rely on aspartame for their products. Some are worried that increased consumer apprehension may lead to a decline in the popularity of zero-sugar products.

The makgeolli industry found reassurance in the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's announcement. As the industry consists mainly of small businesses with annual sales under 100 million won ($79,000), they face challenges in adopting alternative ingredients. Ever since the news about aspartame surfaced, makgeolli companies have reportedly seen a decline in sales ranging from 5 percent to as high as 11 percent compared to the previous year. While they acknowledge the potential impact on the taste of makgeolli, industry players are carefully monitoring market trends before making any hasty decisions.

The confectionery and beverage sector is increasingly replacing aspartame with alternative ingredients.

This movement stems from the classification of aspartame as a possible carcinogen (Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a subsidiary of the WHO. Industry insiders are concerned about the potential negative perception this classification could create among consumers.

Orion, a company that produces snacks, has already taken proactive measures and initiated the process of replacing aspartame in select items such as Poca Chips and Nacho, as well as for items made by overseas subsidiaries that utilize the same ingredients.

"Aspartame is a food additive that is approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and it is in some of our products at an average level of 0.01 percent," an Orion spokesperson said. "Despite its safety being cleared officially, the mere mention of aspartame is spooking customers and we decided to proactively replace it with other ingredients."

Lotte Chilsung Beverage, which sources concentrate from global Pepsi-Cola for its bottling operations, disclosed that it is in discussions with Pepsi's global headquarters regarding the presence of aspartame in "Pepsi Zero."

Major supermarket chains, including Emart, Lotte Mart, and Home Plus, are also acting to address the issue and replace aspartame in their private band products.

Emart said it will use alternative ingredients for certain products that contain aspartame, like No Brand's Zero Cola, which will be out after two to three months. Lotte Mart also took a definitive stance to sequentially replace aspartame with alternative ingredients in 10 specific items, including popcorn, and affirmed that future product releases will not contain the controversial sweetener. Homeplus, which offers around 10 items with aspartame, is discussing ways with its suppliers to produce with ingredient substitutions.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]