Aspartame in Milk?

krisiepoo

This scares me and if approved could set up a scary precedent!

http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/02/21/55075.htm

"Dairy Industry Wants to Put Aspartame in Milk
By NICK MCCANN


WASHINGTON (CN) - Dairy industry groups have asked the Food and Drug Administration to be able to put artificial sweeteners in milk, and not change the label, claiming that it is so consumers can "more easily identify its overall nutritional value".
Read Courthouse News' Environmental Law Review.
The Food and Drug Administration is asking for data related to those sweeteners.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) filed a petition in 2009 requesting that the FDA amend its standard of identity for milk.
The petition asked the agency to allow the use of "any safe and suitable" sweetener for milk and asked to amend the standards of identity for 17 other milk and cream products.
Those products include sweetened condensed milk, whipping cream, yogurt and eggnog, which the groups say should be allowed to have "safe and suitable" sweeteners.
The groups request that the FDA "allow optional characterizing flavoring ingredients used in milk (e.g. chocolate flavoring added to milk) to be sweetened with any safe and suitable sweetener - including non-nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame."
FDA regulations currently only allow milk products to contain "nutritive sweeteners" (those with calories) which the agency generally recognizes as safe.
The groups say the amendments "would promote more healthful eating practices and reduce childhood obesity by providing for lower-calorie flavored milk products."
"They state that lower-calorie flavored milk would particularly benefit school children who, according to IDFA and NMPF, are more inclined to drink flavored milk than unflavored milk at school," the FDA wrote in its notice.
The groups also say they would help with programs that aim to improve nutrition in school meals and argue that the proposed amendments would promote "honesty and fair dealing in the marketplace," the FDA wrote.
The agency published a notice of the petition on Wednesday requesting comments, data, and information about the proposed amendment to the identity of milk products. The comments are due by May 21. "

HaywireII

Just reading that makes me want to gag. I can't stand the taste of Aspartame. I don't like the idea of my kids getting it at school without me knowing either.

_noob_

yeah, no sugar added chocolate milk would not be a product I'd be interested in AT ALL...

sherim71

Aspartame causes migraines. And other issues that I'm sure I"m unaware of. I don't like this idea either.

RhonndaJ

I don't have a problem with them adding things, so long as they're on the label. While I don't believe there's anything wrong with artificial sweeteners, there are people who are sensitive to them so they need to be able to informed choices.

maegmez

If its really because they want to prevent obesity then they should stop making flavoured milk and only offer whole milk. It's quite worrying where the food industry is heading.

AmberSpamber

Ugh! Quit trying to poison every thing we eat!


Makes me glad I can't drink it!

AllonsYtotheTardis

once again - grateful I live in Canada.

Shock_Wave

They would have to put it on the label because:

"One caveat: Aspartame contains phenylalanine, which can be harmful to people with the rare disease phenylketonuria and should be avoided by them."

As recognized by

http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/food-thought/size-your-sweetener-options?page=1

_noob_

They would have to put it on the label because:

"One caveat: Aspartame contains phenylalanine, which can be harmful to people with the rare disease phenylketonuria and should be avoided by them."

As recognized by

http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/food-thought/size-your-sweetener-options?page=1

but could they get around that because milk already has phenylalanine. I can't remember seeing any warnings on yogurts sweetened with aspartame.

jonnythan

.... What makes milk so special that you can't sell "chocolate milk" that has artificial sweetener in it?

Shock_Wave

They would have to put it on the label because:

"One caveat: Aspartame contains phenylalanine, which can be harmful to people with the rare disease phenylketonuria and should be avoided by them."

As recognized by

http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/food-thought/size-your-sweetener-options?page=1

but could they get around that because milk already has phenylalanine. I can't remember seeing any warnings on yogurts sweetened with aspartame.

Didn't say warning just said it would have to be in the list of ingredients.

jonnythan

Obviously aspartame would be in the ingredients if it was added.

But what's so special about milk products that you can't put aspartame or sucralose in them? What's the reasoning there? You can put it in any other product, as long as you list it in the ingredients.

_noob_

They would have to put it on the label because:

"One caveat: Aspartame contains phenylalanine, which can be harmful to people with the rare disease phenylketonuria and should be avoided by them."

As recognized by

http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/food-thought/size-your-sweetener-options?page=1

but could they get around that because milk already has phenylalanine. I can't remember seeing any warnings on yogurts sweetened with aspartame.

Didn't say warning just said it would have to be in the list of ingredients.

oh, you see PKU warning on sodas sweetened with aspartame. that's why I mentioned that.

neandermagnon

I'm intolerant to aspartame, it makes me ill. So no, I really don't agree AT ALL with it going in food without it being on the label

Also, I don't get this whole thing about putting *anything* in food without listing it on the ingredients.... for every food or additive that exists, you can probably find someone, somewhere who's allergic or intolerant to it. And people have the right to choose what they eat and don't eat. They can put what they like in processed food as far as I'm concerned, but I at the very least want to be able to read the list of ingredients and make my own choice about whether or not I eat food that contains any particular ingredient.

Shock_Wave

They would have to put it on the label because:

"One caveat: Aspartame contains phenylalanine, which can be harmful to people with the rare disease phenylketonuria and should be avoided by them."

As recognized by

http://forecast.diabetes.org/magazine/food-thought/size-your-sweetener-options?page=1

but could they get around that because milk already has phenylalanine. I can't remember seeing any warnings on yogurts sweetened with aspartame.

Didn't say warning just said it would have to be in the list of ingredients.

oh, you see PKU warning on sodas sweetened with aspartame. that's why I mentioned that.

I was actually talking to OP after reading:
"Dairy industry groups have asked the Food and Drug Administration to be able to put artificial sweeteners in milk, and not change the label"

FitBeto

OH MYLANTA TIME TO BUY ME A COW AND MILK THAT MOOMOO

Astacia74

Gee - finally something that makes me glad I am lactose intolerant :huh:

Shock_Wave

Gee - finally something that makes me glad I am lactose intolerant :huh:

lol it has not been approved..

neandermagnon

Obviously aspartame would be in the ingredients if it was added.

If that's the case then I don't have a problem with it. The wording in the article implied that they're not changing the label.... which implies that it won't be in the ingredients....? or is this some Brit Eng. vs Am Eng thing?

But what's so special about milk products that you can't put aspartame or sucralose in them? What's the reasoning there? You can put it in any other product, as long as you list it in the ingredients.

Nothing. So long as it's on the label (which in my dialect means anywhere on the label, which would include the list of ingredients) so I can choose to not eat it, because it makes me ill.

FitBeto

wuts mare gross is 'puss' in milk BMAO

sunnyside1213

aspartame = evil.

Shock_Wave

Obviously aspartame would be in the ingredients if it was added.

But what's so special about milk products that you can't put aspartame or sucralose in them? What's the reasoning there? You can put it in any other product, as long as you list it in the ingredients.

If that's the case then I don't have a problem with it. The wording in the article implied that they're not changing the label.... which implies that it won't be in the ingredients....? or is this some Brit Eng. vs Am Eng thing?

lol Reading is hard for some people.

jonnythan

I'm intolerant to aspartame, it makes me ill. So no, I really don't agree AT ALL with it going in food without it being on the label

Also, I don't get this whole thing about putting *anything* in food without listing it on the ingredients.... for every food or additive that exists, you can probably find someone, somewhere who's allergic or intolerant to it. And people have the right to choose what they eat and don't eat. They can put what they like in processed food as far as I'm concerned, but I at the very least want to be able to read the list of ingredients and make my own choice about whether or not I eat food that contains any particular ingredient.

Unless I'm missing something major, no one said anything about putting aspartame into anything without putting it on the label.

Instead of adding sugar or HFCS to "chocolate milk" they would add aspartame or sucralose or whatever. It would still be on the label.

As it is right now, they're literally not allowed to add it at all. Which seems crazy to me. They're allowed to add HFCS but they can't add artificial sweetener.

LuckyLeprechaun

aspartame = evil.

Your exaggeration is quite over the top.

Things like rape and genocide are evil.

Aspartame has been proven to be safe to consume.

Iron_Pheonix

What makes them think that they can improve on a natures produce? Milk is natural (putting aside the raw issue) why on earth would you want to remove its natural sugars and replace with artificial ingredients? People aren't obese from consuming too much dairy...they are consuming too much food...mainly processed crap! They'd get a better response by educating people of what a healthy diet looks like.

In the UK they have removed flavoured milk in most schools- thank goodness!

neandermagnon

Obviously aspartame would be in the ingredients if it was added.

But what's so special about milk products that you can't put aspartame or sucralose in them? What's the reasoning there? You can put it in any other product, as long as you list it in the ingredients.

If that's the case then I don't have a problem with it. The wording in the article implied that they're not changing the label.... which implies that it won't be in the ingredients....? or is this some Brit Eng. vs Am Eng thing?

lol Reading is hard for some people.

Yes I'm dyslexic, would you like to take the p*** some more about it?

jonnythan

If that's the case then I don't have a problem with it. The wording in the article implied that they're not changing the label.... which implies that it won't be in the ingredients....? or is this some Brit Eng. vs Am Eng thing?

No, what they mean by "changing the label" is that, if they put artificial sweeteners, they're not allowed to call it milk anymore. So you can sell "chocolate milk" that has a ton of HFCS poured into it, but you can't call it "chocolate milk" if you use any aspartame.

That's what this is about.

This article is much more clear:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/aspartame-milk_n_2764729.html?utm_hp_ref=business

dwalt15110

How is artificial anything considered as nutritious? There is one company that does put artificial sweetener in their chocolate milk. I accidently bought it. There was no little symbol on the label to tell that it was contained. It was absolutely horrid. It is essential that these additives be listed. Unfortunately, if this is given the green light by the FDA, it will take the death of many individuals to change it. Thanks for the info.

jonnythan

why on earth would you want to remove its natural sugars and replace with artificial ingredients?

They don't want to do that.

They want to *add* sweetener and still be able to call it milk.

Right now they can add high fructose corn syrup and still call it milk. If they add aspartame, they can't call it milk.

neandermagnon

I'm intolerant to aspartame, it makes me ill. So no, I really don't agree AT ALL with it going in food without it being on the label

Also, I don't get this whole thing about putting *anything* in food without listing it on the ingredients.... for every food or additive that exists, you can probably find someone, somewhere who's allergic or intolerant to it. And people have the right to choose what they eat and don't eat. They can put what they like in processed food as far as I'm concerned, but I at the very least want to be able to read the list of ingredients and make my own choice about whether or not I eat food that contains any particular ingredient.

Unless I'm missing something major, no one said anything about putting aspartame into anything without putting it on the label.

It says "without changing the label" - that's an ambiguous phrase. The list of ingredients is on the label, so to me "without changing the label" implies they're not going to put it on the list of ingredients. From the responses on the thread, a lot of people took it to mean that. Maybe it's a difference in British or American English...? or maybe it's just a poorly written article (a good writer avoids ambiguous phrases).