From Catherine Jones
So aspartame has been “let off the hook” (6 May, p 40, and 13 May, p 5). Maybe it will not cause lymphomas and leukaemia, but do we really want or need it? Apart from its vile taste (quite unlike the subtle flavours of nature’s sugars), the one allegation we can hold strongly against this chemical concerns its extraordinary sweetness. Aspartame has now found its way into almost all soft drinks and many foodstuffs – particularly those intended to appeal to children.
Products that have no artificial sweeteners are also much sweeter than they used to be. Do the manufacturers of these feel compelled to compete for consumers from among those whose tastes have been conditioned by aspartame?
I for one do not want soft drinks sweeter than fudge or sugar cane. Keep saccharin and aspartame for diabetics, but please can we have this contaminant removed from the diet of the rest of us.
West Midlands, UK
