Should aspartame be banned? Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that replaces sugar in foods and drinks. On the food additive table, it is known as E951 (European Food Safety Authority, 2013). The use of aspartame has been the subject of controversy for more than five decades since its discovery in 1965. Although aspartame has been approved as a safe substitute for sugar, many in the public around the world believe that aspartame should be banned. Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener that was discovered by accident in 1965 by Drs. James M. Schlatter while working at GD Searle Research Laboratories (Fisher 1989). Aspartame was marketed under the name “NutraSweet” and contains methanol, aspartic acid and phenylalanine (NutraSweet 2003). Aspartame was introduced as an artificial sweetener in breakfast cereals in 1974 (Fisher 1989). After further investigation, research and experimentation, aspartame was deemed safe and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (Fisher 1989) for use in soft drinks and to replace sugar in foods (Food Standards Australia New Zealand 2013). Even after studies showed that aspartame is safe if one follows the recommended daily allowance guidelines, groups and organizations are still fighting to have this food additive banned. Websites and social media groups have been created across the world to raise awareness about the negative health effects of aspartame. What is aspartame? Aspartame (E 951) is a low-calorie sweetener authorized as a food additive. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is used by food and drink manufacturers in a range of products including yogurt, chewing gum, crisps, cooking sauces, soft drinks, cereals for breakfast, powdered drinks, paper. .....4. Ekong, M 2008, Aspartame: sweet or bitter, The Internet Journal of Health, vol. 9, no. 1, accessed April 11, 2014, ISPUB, http://ispub.com/IJH/9/1/8045#.5. Fisher, R. 1989. Aspartame, neurotoxicity and seizures: a review, Epilepsy, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 55-64, accessed April 20, 2014, available at: http://med.stanford.edu/nbc/articles/2%20-%20Aspartame,%20Neurotoxicity,%20and%20Seizures%20-%20A%20Revue.pdf6 . Nutrasweet.com. 2003. NutraSweet - What is aspartame?, accessed April 20, 2014, http://www.nutrasweet.com/articles/search.asp?Id=35&srch=aspartame 7. Phenylketonuria 2014, accessed 11 April 2014, http://www. .nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001166.htm 8. Smith, R 1981. “Aspartame approved despite risks”, Science, vol. 213, no. 4511, p. 986-987, accessed April 11, 2014, JSTOR Life Sciences Collection, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/stable/1687044