WHO cancer arm deems aspartame "possible carcinogen"; consumption limits unchanged

FILE PHOTO: Sodas on shelves at a Vons grocery store in Pasadena, California, U.S., June 10, 2020. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni//File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - The sweetener aspartame is a "possible carcinogen" but it remains safe to consume at already agreed levels, two groups linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday.

The rulings are the outcome of two separate WHO expert panels, one of which flags whether there is any evidence that a substance is a potential hazard, and the other which assesses how much of a real-life risk that substance actually poses.