---

Food Standards Australia New Zealand News

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) launched their new look website in August 2006 – www.foodstandards.gov.au. FSANZ have recently released fact sheets on the potential safety risks of benzene in flavoured beverages and the use of aspartame sweetener. The fact sheets, summarised here, can be found on the FSANZ website: http://www.foodstandards.gov.au.

Benzene in flavoured beverages

The approved food additives ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and sodium benzoate can produce low levels of benzene when present in the same beverage. This occurs through a chemical reaction involving metals commonly found in water. Exposure to low levels of benzene over an extended period has been linked to the development of aplastic anaemia, which can lead to leukaemia.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set the acceptable level of benzene in drinking water at 10 parts per billion (ppb). In early 2006, tests performed on beverages in the USA found levels 2–5 times above this, sparking international concern. In response to this FSANZ conducted a survey on the status of Australian beverages and benzene levels.

Focusing on beverages that were more likely to contain benzene, such as soft drinks and fruit juice, FSANZ sampled 68 beverages sold in retail outlets from March to April 2006. Independent analysis showed that 56 percent of beverages contained trace levels of benzene, ranging from 1 to 40 ppb. Over 90 percent of the 68 beverages screened were below the WHO guideline of 10 ppb.

Benzene is also present in petrol vapours, car exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke; the main way the general population is exposed to it is through environmental exposure. The UK Food Standards Agency has stated that people would need to drink more than 20 litres of a drink containing benzene at 10 ppb to equal the amount of benzene inhaled from city air in a day.

FSANZ advised that the levels of benzene found in the beverages they surveyed do not present any public health concerns because in comparison to the overall exposure levels, the amounts found were very low. To minimise any potential health effects FSANZ still wish to ensure that the levels of benzene in beverages are kept as low as possible; they are working with other government departments and the food industry to achieve this.

Aspartame

Aspartame is a food additive (code 951) that is used as an intense sweetener in foods such as carbonated soft drinks and confectionery.

Two reports released by an Italian research organisation in 2005 and 2006 claimed that rats exposed to a diet containing aspartame showed a significant increase in lymphoma and leukaemia. These reports were thoroughly investigated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which concluded that the development of cancer in the rats was either not related to the aspartame treatment or was rat specific. Consequently, the Authority confirmed that there was no reason to change the current acceptable daily intake (ADI) for aspartame of 40 mg/kg bodyweight.

In a detailed study conducted in 2003, FSANZ assessed the levels of aspartame consumed by the Australian public. They found that even the group classified as high consumers consumed only 15 percent of the ADI. This led to the conclusion that aspartame consumption levels in Australia are well below those which may cause adverse health effects.

The recent EFSA decision has given FSANZ renewed confidence that their evaluation into the safety of aspartame and approval for its use in a range of products is sound.