HEALTH ALERT

Aspartame safety upheld

A September ruling by a federal appeals court affirms the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of aspartame, deeming it safe for use in foods and beverages.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a request by the Community Nutrition Institute and others, which sought to halt the sale of aspartame until a public hearing was held by the FDA. The Court determined that the FDA had properly denied a hearing after finding that the petitioners had not raised any issues of material fact to justify a hearing.