July 18, 2023 — WHO (World Health Organization) gave a recent warning that aspartame (used as an artificial sweetener in many consumable products) is “possibly carcinogenic”. Diet sodas with aspartame have been a bright spot for major beverage companies (27% of the carbonated soda drink market) while sugared soda has plunged as consumers cut back on sugar intake.
One Edward Jones beverage analyst expressed her opinion about WHO’s recent warning that it will not have a big adverse impact on her major beverage clients since the consumer perspective of soda and other products that contain aspartame will remain unchanged. The same EJ analyst added that red and processed meat, as well as alcohol, are cited by WHO as having a stronger correlation with cancer than aspartame, and many consumers continue to partake in those food offerings. Her rationalization with this comparison that consumers already eat worse than what they drink and therefore, they will not be concerned about their soda choice is off-the-mark. We think consumers are smart and realize that drinking pure water is the safest for them.
The entire article can be found at this link.