A new report by the World Health Organisation has listed artificial sweetener aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans, meaning it is in the same risk category as aloe vera, nickel and consuming certain pickled vegetables.
However, the report also noted a substantial amount of aspartame would have to be consumed for it to be dangerous. A safe level is about 40mg per day per kilogramme of body weight, according to the WHO, which translates to about 2,800mg for an average-sized adult.
A typical can of a diet fizzy drink with aspartame contains 200-300mg of the sweetener. That works out to nine to 14 cans per day, far above what most people are likely to consume.
Yet for those who want to be on the safe side, here are nine alternatives that do not contain the ingredient in the UAE.
Normal fizzy drinks
Any regular fizzy drink from PepsiCo or Coca-Cola will not have aspartame. Examples include Pepsi, Sprite, Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper and Fanta. However, they will instead contain higher levels of sugar (from 37g to 46g) so it’s worth drinking only in moderation.
San Pellegrino
The popular sparkling drink from Italy can be found in the UAE in flavours such as aranciata (orange), aranciata rossa (blood orange) and limonata (lemon). A 355ml can contains around 33g of sugar.
Rubicon Sparkling
The Canadian beverage has come to the UAE with its line of sparkling juices that have a similar taste to fizzy drinks. They are created with real fruit juice and have around 15g of sugar per can. Flavours include mango, lychee, pomegranate, guava and passionfruit.
Thums Up
The popular drink is an Indian brand of cola that was created after Coca-Cola left the country in 1977. It was later bought by the company. It has a distinct taste that sets it apart from other cola brands and can be found throughout the UAE. One can has about 34g of sugar.
Shani
The soft drink is popular in the Middle East and is produced by PepsiCo. Although it comes in a variety of flavours, the most readily available is the berry one that comes in a reddish-purple can. Shani has around 46g of sugar in its 330ml can.
Mirinda
The soda from Spain has been distributed globally by PepsiCo. It comes in several flavours but orange and green apple are the most popular in the UAE. However, it should be noted one can of soda (355ml) has approximately 41g to 45g of sugar.
Whole Earth
The British brand has flavours available in ginger, cranberry, elderflower and cola. The drink has the same fizzy taste as regular soda but is made from organic ingredients such as agave syrup and lemon juice. They average around 24g to 26g of sugar.
Schweppes
Schweppes’ most popular flavour is ginger ale (which has 32g of sugar), although it also sells fizzy drinks and tonic water that do not have any.
Canada Dry
The Canadian brand is most known for its ginger ale but offers a variety of flavours including dry cream, pomegranate and dana. Some stores in the UAE also carry exported speciality flavours such as cranberry ginger ale or blackberry ginger ale.
