Aspartame has been potentially linked to cancer. Which products in Europe contain the sweetener?

Scientists are beginning to target a common sweetener which they believe has a potential association with cancer: aspartame.

The artificial sweetener - widely used in thousands of products worldwide - is now under scrutiny by cancer experts at the World Health Organization (WHO).

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a WHO body responsible for evaluating the carcinogenic potential of substances, is currently in the last phase of an investigation that will determine whether aspartame can increase the risk of cancer in the population.

The IARC is preparing to publish a report next month that will label the sweetener as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” Reuters reported on Thursday.

The IARC has two more serious classifications, namely "probably carcinogenic to humans" and "carcinogenic to humans”. Both tobacco smoking and eating processed meat are listed as “carcinogenic to humans”. Acetaldehyde (from consuming alcoholic beverages) is listed as "probably carcinogenic to humans".

The move to label aspartame follows a warning from the WHO in May this year that said artificial sweeteners were not a weight loss aid and in fact may raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death.

Last year, a large study in France flagged a possible link between artificial sweeteners and an increased risk of cancer. And national health organisations such as Canada’s have long warned that zero-calorie or low-calorie sugar substitutes are neither necessary nor helpful.

However, last month, WHO emphasised the warning was “conditional” due to the diversity of participants in the studies that formed the basis for its conclusions, as well as the very complex consumption habits of sugar-free sweeteners.

The IARC's safety review is