Aspartame in Milk Controversy
By
FBWorld Team
International
Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk
Producers Federation (NMPF) have filed a petition with the FDA
asking the FDA to alter the definition of "milk" to
allow for the use of non nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame,
sucralose and stevia. Natural News the newsletter has reported
that these products will not be properly labeled, hiding from
consumers the fact that these non nutritive sweeteners are in
their milk.
In
fact, according to Marcia Mc Glochlin , Director of Food Safety
and Regulatory Affairs at Clover Stornetta Farms, the intention
to hide aspartame from the consumers is not true. We are talking
about primarily flavored milk ( chocolate milk, strawberry milk)
products that are available to students through their school cafeterias.
There are State and Federal requirements for school offerings
that the products are to be calorie sensitive and have limited
amounts of sugar, and thus the need for non nutritive sweeteners,
such as aspartame, stevia, or a number of other federally approved
non nutritive sweeteners. Currently, a carton labeled as chocolate
milk cannot have stevia or any other non nutritive sweetener in
it. It must be emphasized, that any sweeteners currently are,
and must, be listed on the carton in the ingredient statement.
There
are currently several approved completely natural non nutritive
sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit, and with the increased
interest in natural ingredients and their potential for use, there
are other natural sweeteners in the process of being developed
and approved.
This
petition was submitted for approval several years ago, and is
only now resurfacing to get passed. The reason it is resurfacing
now is to get comments from the public.
Federal
Register - Flavored Milk Petition - Click
Here.