Saccharin given the all-clear
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the United
States announced in May that the high intensity sweetener saccharin
would no longer appear on its list of potential cancer-causing
substances. Saccharin has been used as a sweetener since the early 20th
century. The U.S. FDA proposed a ban on saccharin in 1977 following a
study showing that in large doses - equivalent to the human consumption
of 750 cans of diet soda every day over a lifetime - some male rats
developed bladder cancer. A congressional moratorium was placed on the
ban to allow for more research to be conducted into saccharin's safety.
Although the FDA officially withdrew the proposed ban in 1991, United
States law still required a warning label on all saccharin-containing
products. Recent research shows that the mechanism that can cause
saccharin-fed male rats to develop cancer is unique to the male rat and
is not relevant to humans. Saccharin has been thoroughly reviewed and
approved for use by FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
FDA rules on GM foods
After finalising a complete review of their 1992 regulations, sorting
through 25,000 letters and hearing testimony from multiple interested
parties, the USA Food and Drug Administration has announced that the
labelling of genetically modified foods will retain the system of
"substantial equivalence". Companies developing GM crops will still need
to provide extensive documentation on safety assessments prior to
obtaining approval from the FDA to proceed. The FDA is also working on
regulations to govern the voluntary use of GMO-free labels on foods.
OECD reports on safety of GM foods
The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) recently released two reports that say foods derived from
genetically modified crops are as safe as other foods. The reports also
recommend that government regulators pay closer attention to involving
the public in food safety assessments. The reports form part of the
group's response to the Group of Eight (G8) request for more information
on genetically modified foods.
