A petition requesting the removal of all products containing aspartame and other artificial sweeteners from schools was presented to Green MP Sue Kedgley at a parliamentary hearing.

Aspartame, which is found in products such as Equal and Nutrasweet, is often labelled as 951 or phenylalanine. It’s an artificial sweetener found in more than 6000 sugar free and diet products, including drinks, chewing gum, supplements, sports drinks and medications.

The petition, with almost 8000 signatures, organised by the Safe Food Campaign and supported by the Soil & Health Association, also asks for warning labels on all aspartame products and a programme to raise awareness of aspartame’s toxicity within the medical profession.

It follows an agreement with the government for beverage manufacturers to withdraw sugar sweetened fizzy drinks from secondary schools. But concerns have been raised, as there are indications the replacements are potentially more harmful.

“Manufacturers are replacing them with the more dangerous aspartame-containing drinks.

“The isolated phenylalanine in aspartame has been shown to deplete serotonin levels and lower the seizure threshold. This can trigger mood swings, suicidal tendencies and behavioural problems,” says Alison White, co-convenor of the Safe Food Campaign.

Ms White says Mrs Kedgley has shown great interest in the campaign and has been supportive of its nutritional advocacy, but many politicians turn a blind eye.

“The aspartame debate has a very chequered and controversial history that regulation authorities are very careful to ignore,” says Ms White.

The Education Ministry says it’s powerless to what schools place bans on, as it’s up to individual schools to choose what products it does or doesn’t stock.

Last year it launched nutritional strategy Mission On, which emphasises what foods and drinks it recommends as healthy diet options for students.

Ms White says recent research links artificial sweeteners with carbohydrate cravings and the intake of aspartame worsens symptoms of diabetics and interacts with insulin.

“Fizzy drinks sweetened with aspartame not only lack nutrients, but also contain a substance that is linked to undesirable effects on health. It’s irresponsible to expose our young people even more to such a questionable substance,” she says.

Some schools have removed aspartame products but Ms White says more warnings need to be put out in the public arena.

For more information, refer to www.safefood.org.nz.