Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Marketing Nutrasweet(aspartame) for children

57 replies

uwila · 09/02/2006 09:41

Does anyone else have a problem with this? The one that really gets me is children's medicine. I recently went to Boots to buy some medised for my 8 month old DS. When she pulled the "sugar free" bottle off the shelf, I said "Oh no. I want the one with sugar." and she said "With sugar?" and I replied "Yes, it's better than nutrasweet. My 8 month old baby doen't need to be on a diet." I just can't understand why I seem to be the only one who thinks nutrasweet is not a good thing for my young children. What do you think? Should there be warnings on food so unsuspecting parents can be informed of the chemical crap they are putting into their children? And, I am the biggest Diet Coke feind that ever lived. But, young children are surely netter off with plain sugar.

OP posts:
beatie · 09/02/2006 11:01

They must be cheap because they are appearing in everything (see my tonic water rant below) and not just items that are labelled as low calorie or sugar-free. I now won't buy a drink without checking the label first. It becomes a bit tedious.

Ice cream cones have them in too. Does anyone know if I can buy ice cream cones without artificial sweetners? I go to great lengths to good quality ice cream and cannot find cones to put it in to.

Sorry - thread hijack there.

Original poster
uwila · 09/02/2006 11:08

So what can we do? Does anyone know what government agency is resposible for regulating the advertising on food? How can we get their attention? Or is some organisation already trying to do this? Maybe we could join them?

OP posts:
Easy · 09/02/2006 11:16

Beatie

Try /link{http://www.astro.cf.ac.uk/cgi-bin/recipe/process?-M+waffle-cone/this recipe} to make your own cones.

I might try it, seeing as I make ice cream

Easy · 09/02/2006 11:17

I'll try again

Beatie

Try this recipe to make your own cones.

I might try it, seeing as I make ice cream

BudaBabe · 09/02/2006 11:20

Interesting point uwila. There MUST be something we can do. Isn't is funny that we all now abut the FDA in the States but can't name the equivalent org in the UK???

Anyone any ideas?

beatie · 09/02/2006 11:20

Thanks Easy.

sandyballs · 09/02/2006 11:21

Beatie - Askey's make ice cream cones and wafers with sugar, not sweeteners. Tesco sell them.

beatie · 09/02/2006 11:34

Thanks. Those must be the more expensive waffle ones because the regular Askeys cones do contain sweetners.

singersgirl · 09/02/2006 11:48

Thanks for cone recipe - have been unable to find colour free ones for my sensitive DS1. Annatto (which counts as a natural colouring) is in so many things and is also the devil's work. How yellow do cones or custard have to be?

The other thing that really gets to me is the savoury snacks/crisps which say "No artificial flavourings or colourings" and then are full of MSG (E620-625), disodium guanylate (627), disodium inosinate (631) or ribonucleotides (E635) - all artificial flavour enhancers and all potentially harmful.

singersgirl · 09/02/2006 11:49

Thanks for cone recipe - have been unable to find colour free ones for my sensitive DS1. Askey's all contain annatto. Annatto (which counts as a natural colouring, but provokes reactions in lots of children) is in so many things and is also the devil's work. How yellow do cones or custard or Cheerios have to be?

The other thing that really gets to me is the savoury snacks/crisps which say "No artificial flavourings or colourings" and then are full of MSG (E620-625), disodium guanylate (627), disodium inosinate (631) or ribonucleotides (E635) - all artificial flavour enhancers and all potentially harmful.

singersgirl · 09/02/2006 11:51

Oops, sorry for double post.

katetee · 09/02/2006 13:00

Hi
totally agree with you all on this one. I recently did an essay on food additives for my Biology coursework and Although I knew quite a lot, researching this really openend my eyes. Aspartame was originally on the US biological warfare agent list! Rumsfeld was involved in getting it approved, by foul means not fair!! there is a great article, if anyone's interested I'll get you the link. I also found that many things not labelled 'sugar free' also include aspartame because it's so much cheaper to produce, now that's scary. You expect to look at labels in the obvious cases but not the less obvious.

Easy · 09/02/2006 13:20

I've asked this on the biscuit thread, but no-one has answered ... Why is MSG so harmful. I have always assumed that was a natural compound, but know nothing about it (except that some people are allergic)

katetee · 09/02/2006 14:39

i think its something to do with research (on mice) showing that it inhibits nerve cenll growth and the receptors in the brain and is linked with Parkinsos, Alzheimers type illnesses. This is a short but quite qood link
\link{http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e621.htm
hope that worked, never done a link before!

madmarchhare · 09/02/2006 14:48

here

madmarchhare · 09/02/2006 14:50

katetee - can you post the link about aspartame please.

katetee · 09/02/2006 15:12

Hi
I am obviously no good at this link business! so here is address for the report in The Ecologist, it shows the history of Aspartame
www.wnho.net/the_ecologist_aspartame_report.htm
and for loads of infor from same place use
www.wnho.net/aspartamenews.htm
Happy reading!!lol

katetee · 09/02/2006 15:30

hi only me again
just looked at my last post and it looks like the whole link is undelined and its not. it should be an underscore between the and ecologist and aspartame and report. Hope that makes sense.

madmarchhare · 09/02/2006 16:02

so the link would go like this

madmarchhare · 09/02/2006 16:02

except it doesnt work, ha ha.

madmarchhare · 09/02/2006 16:04

tryagain

katetee · 09/02/2006 17:10

that's it. then go to the link on the left for aspartame and go down to the september 25th story.

madmarchhare · 09/02/2006 18:20

Nothing there, although lots of other stuff.

Anyone aware of WHO official stance on it?

Original poster
uwila · 10/02/2006 09:22

Surely someone on here know what government agency regulates this advertising... Don't tell me there isn't one. The UK has an agency for everything.

Perhaps the Tories or the Lib Dems would be interested in exposing Labour's ovesight on this. I know there was a Lib Dem who called for aspatame to be made illegal in the UK. But it obviously didn't get very far.

OP posts:
Passionflower · 10/02/2006 11:48

Hi slight thread hijack but related. Anyone know what sucrolose is and is it evil too? Just bought the DD's a drink then found this was an ingredient.