Over 350,000 citizens call on EU to ban aspartame
- Additives
Despite growing health concerns, aspartame is still allowed in EU foods — including products for children. At a symbolic handover in Brussels, foodwatch urged a precautionary ban.
More than 350,000 people from across Europe are demanding an EU-wide ban on the artificial sweetener aspartame. In a symbolic action in front of the European Commission in Brussels, foodwatch, the French Cancer League (Ligue contre le cancer) and the consumer app Yuka handed over their joint petition to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — or at least tried to. The Commission refused to meet.
The campaign responds to growing scientific concerns over the health risks linked to aspartame, which is still authorised for use in thousands of food and drink products across the EU — including items often consumed by children and pregnant women. The Commission’s refusal to even receive the petition highlights a lack of political will to act in the face of growing public concern.
The European Commission cannot continue to turn a blind eye on the growing scientific warnings on aspartame and the hundreds of thousands of citizens who are asking for a ban.International Senior Campaigns Strategist
Aspartame labelled “possibly carcinogenic”
Aspartame has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. Since the petition was launched in February 2025, new studies have further reinforced concerns, linking the sweetener to increased cancer risks, type 2 diabetes, strokes, and negative effects on the gut microbiome.
Despite this, EU institutions have so far taken no concrete steps to review or suspend its authorisation.
EU must act now to protect health
We are calling on the European Commission and Member States to apply the precautionary principle and suspend the approval of aspartame without delay. The EU has a legal obligation to protect public health and must not wait for absolute scientific certainty before taking action.
