Re: House Bill 2680 Room #329
Please Copy as Committee handout
To Whom it May Concern
Dear House Health Committee
I am writing with regard to House Bill No 2680 and the legislative process that I understand you will be voting on this week to potentially ban the artificial sweetener, aspartame.
I have worked as a campaigner with other food and health networks and individuals in the UK for a number of years helping to facilitate the promotion of knowledge and information about the dangers of such additives. I have also spoken at public meetings in France and helped to arrange such information meetings here in England - principally working with leading US campaigner, Betty Martini when she came to the UK on two occasions and accompanying her to a meeting with officials from the European Commission in Brussels when they were presented with key documents relating to the history of how aspartame gained approval together with relevant scientific papers. Since that time there have, of course, been the famous Ramazzini Foundation findings.
There are dozens of MPs here in the UK Parliament who now have a formal position against aspartame see: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/British_MP_calls_for_ban_on_Aspartame
And a major UK national daily paper also calling for a ban on an outright ban on potentially harmful food additives - for an update as at January 2008, see: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=511414&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source
The two media extracts below show major retail strength of resolve in this matter now that UK supermarkets themselves are taking on the challenge of getting rid of additives including aspartame:
24-Apr-2007 - Britain's third largest supermarket is to remove artificial flavours and colours, as well as the aspartame sweetener, from its private label soft drinks. Sainsbury's announced new drinks formulas would be on shelves from June, in a new sign that demand for natural ingredients is entering the mainstream soft drinks sector.
Extracted from http://www.beveragedaily.com/news/ng.asp?n=75998-sainsbury-s-soft-drinks-natural
Asda and M&S to phase out food additives by end of year
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
Two of Britain's biggest food retailers have announced they will phase out artificial colours and flavourings amid concern about the substances' impact on children's behaviour.
Asda said its new guarantee meant that E-numbers would be removed from all its own-brand products by the end of the year, while Marks & Spencer promised to do the same for 99 per cent of its food in the same time. The sweetener Aspartame is also being removed
It is to be hoped that your Committee will have a successful outcome in your voting regarding the banning of aspartame with the strength of your legislative members, your media and your food shops and supermarkets - good luck with this one!
Yours faithfully
Felicity Mawson
Mission Possible UK
Witham, Essex England