Neotame has moved a step closer to being approved for use in the EU

Neotame, which was developed by The NutraSweet Company in the US, is a derivative of aspartame. It is said to be 30 to 60 times sweeter than aspartame, depending upon the food application.

Neotame is already approved for use as a food additive in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. It remains unapproved in the EU, however, despite an opinion published in the The EFSA Journal (2007) 581, 1-43, by the authority's Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food, which concluded that "neotame is not carcinogenic, genotoxic or associated with any reproductive/developmental toxicity".

Its opinion is based on assessment of animal studies on diet preference, sub-chronic effects, chronic effects, carcinogenicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and genotoxicity.

The human clinical testing program was to evaluate metabolism and pharmacokinetics, and safety in healthy subjects and those with diabetes. These results have not been published yet.

Steve - ugh. Yet another artificial sweetener. Neotame was created to replace aspartame. They are virtually identical. NutraSweet created it because aspartame has become highly controversial and the company needs another blockbuster free of controversy. They probably have about ten years or so until Neotame becomes controversial.