The FDA approved aspartame under very suspect circumstances.  By their own
admission it is the most complained about substance in their history, with
over 10,000 "official" complaints.  The FDA, CDC and many other have proof
that aspartame does in fact cause tumors, and they have more than ample proof
that the toxic substances methanol, formaldehyde, and formic acid, along with
the excitotoxic action of aspartic acid cause a wide range of problems in
those who ingest aspartame-laced products.

During 1997 the FDA was petitioned to RECALL aspartame because it is an
unhealthy substance poisoning over 200 million clueless victims in over
100 countries via over 9000 products.  That recall petition was never
acknowleded.

If you visit the FDA site you will find a means of complaining about drugs,
blood products, devices, animal drugs, vaccines... but no way to complain
about "food additives" or "other".  This helps to insure that victims of
aspartame poisoning, such as myself, have no easy means of reporting our
discovery!

Monsanto/Nutrasweet reported lagging sales of
aspartame.  To counter this trend they might sell
a cheap saccharine substitute.

HOWEVER!  Their main push is to get "Neotame",
a chemically tweaked aspartame, on the fast
track to FDA approval.

Another tragedy is in the making!

The formula for this new substance is reported to be:

L-Phenylanlanine,N-[N-(3,3-dimethylbutyl)-L--aspartyl]-,
1-methyl ester

Monsanto Co. also proposes that this additive be identified
as "neotame" for use as a tabletop sweetener.

When asked to compare neotame to aspartame, Monsanto
communications director Nancy Nevin said:

"Compositionally it begins with aspartame, but a simple
enhancement to the dipeptide base of aspartame uniquely
and markedly changes its sweetness. It is 40 times
sweeter than aspartame."

   Aspartame was never and cannot be proven to be safe.  It is not and
cannot be a diet aid because the formaldehyde (from the breakdown of the
10% methanol) gets stored in the fat along with some water.  The National
Soft Drink Association did a 30-page protest in the '80s  (Congressional
Record, Senate S 5511, 5/7/85) that mentioned the fact that aspartame was
unstable, and that aspartame reduced the levels of serotonin (a substance
that gives one that "full" feeling) which often induces a craving for
carbohydrates.

   Perhaps the phrase that best applies is that "ASPARTAME is a Pandora's
box of chameleon-like toxins and tumor agents that have 92 FDA acknowledged
ways to ruin your life, death being one of them".

   Thousands of sick people have been getting THE clue to their
many painful and expensive problems... aspartame, and they are
waking up well!  Now they want to make it sweeter so that victims can
use it longer... with perhaps even more permanent damage.

  We consider this a tragic and unacceptable business goal.

Please help by writing to the below address.  Include your own
case history if you desire.  Insure that the FDA is aware that
you see no reason for any cancer-causing substance, with 92 symptoms
of poisoning, to be in the human food chain.  Let them know that
the approval of Neotame for use in the human food chain is NOT
acceptable.  Further, let the FDA know that you want the original
aspartame recalled (removed) from their list of approved substances.

  Although it is too late to include your objections or case history
into the Federal Register via the Dockets Management route you can
still write to the FDA at:

****************************************

Commissioner
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857

****************************************

NutraSweet® brand sweetener was discovered in 1965 at G.D. Searle and Company by researcher James Schlatter. He was working on research with amino acids to develop a treatment for ulcers. When he licked his finger to pick up a piece of paper Schlatter got the world's first taste of NutraSweet. His amino acid combination may not have cured ulcers, but it helped create a product that revolutionized the category of "sweetener" for individuals and food ingredient companies.

Since its introduction in 1981, millions of people worldwide have enjoyed products containing NutraSweet. With regulatory approvals in more than 100 countries on six continents, NutraSweet is the most widely recognized and tested sweetening ingredient in the world.

In 1985, Monsanto acquired G.D. Searle and Company. The NutraSweet Company operated as part of the Monsanto Company Life Sciences Division until J.W. Childs Equity Partners II L.P. purchased it in May 2000.