The World Health Organization (WHO) recently said non-sugar sweeteners are ineffective for weight loss and “possibly carcinogenic.”
QUICK FACTS:
- A lobbying organization paid health professionals and social media influencers to advertise the artificial sweetener aspartame.
- The payments are part of the American Beverage Association’s “Safety of Aspartame” campaign.
- An investigation from The Washington Post found that a number of dieticians were paid thousands of dollars to encourage viewers on Instagram and TikTok to consume aspartame, candy, and other unhealthy sugary products.
- Although some social media influencers explained the posts were sponsored, many did not, violating federal guidelines that call for influencers to disclose brand relationships.
- According to the Director of the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health Marlene Schwartz, food and beverage industries are turning to social media campaigns in an effort to get “dietitians to essentially do their marketing for them.”
- William Dermody, spokesperson for American Beverage, explained that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other health organizations have said aspartame is safe, contradicting the WHO’s latest warnings that the substance is unhealthy.
- “The FDA and food regulators from more than 90 countries all determined aspartame to be safe, as did the WHO committee that did a comprehensive review of the sweetener,” Dermody said. “The dietitians provided well-established facts about aspartame safety based on decades of scientific research.”
- While the WHO said individuals can consume 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight in aspartame, the health agency also warned the sugar substitute is “possibly carcinogenic.”
EXAMPLES OF THE SPONSORSHIPS:
- Mary Ellen Phipps, a dietitian, posted an Instagram video claiming that aspartame is safe for those with diabetes.
- Jenn Messina, another dietitian, encouraged her followers to give their children more sugar.
- “Instead of being the candy police, let them pick 2-3 pieces and add it to meals or snacks,” her Instagram video shares.
- Discussing what to do with Halloween candy, Messina wrote in her caption, “[S]ort through the candy (to ensure it’s safe) and let them eat AS MUCH as they want. This helps decrease the stash and makes it less of a ‘big deal.’ Yes, they may barf. That’s a great life lesson.”
- In yet another video, dietitian Lindsay Pleskot posted videos of herself consuming ice cream and candy, telling her audience that if they deny themselves sugar, their cravings will become worse.
- Pleskot was sponsored by the Canadian Sugar Institute.
BACKGROUND:
- A California bill would ban five food additives linked to various health issues, such as cancer and hormone imbalances.
- The ban targets common ingredients in candies and processed foods, including red dye No. 3, titanium dioxide, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, and Propylparaben.
- This groundbreaking bill was also known colloquially as the “Skittles Bill,” named after the popular candy, as well as other sweets such as Hot Tamales and Sour Patch Kids, all of which contain the banned substances.
- Food industries claim the bill “usurps the comprehensive food safety and approval system for these five additives and predetermines ongoing evaluations.”
