SpaceX Insider Share Sale Values Company Near $800 Billion Amid IPO Speculation 
U.S. Dollar Slips Near Two-Month Low as Markets Await Key Jobs Data and Central Bank Decisions 
Japan Business Sentiment Hits Four-Year High, Boosting Expectations of BOJ Rate Hike 
Bank of Japan Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Inflation Pressures Persist 
HSBC’s $13.6 Billion Take-Private Offer for Hang Seng Bank Gains Board Backing 
Air Force One Delivery Delayed to 2028 as Boeing Faces Rising Costs 
United Airlines Flight to Tokyo Returns to Dulles After Engine Failure During Takeoff 
China’s November Economic Data Signals Slowing Industrial Output and Weak Consumer Demand 
Asian Stocks Slide as AI Valuation Fears and BOJ Uncertainty Weigh on Markets 
New Zealand Budget Outlook Shows Prolonged Deficits Despite Economic Recovery Hopes 
Asian Technology and Chipmaking Stocks Slide as AI Spending Concerns Shake Markets 
Fed Rate Cut Signals Balance Between Inflation and Jobs, Says Mary Daly 
S&P 500 Slides as AI Chip Stocks Tumble, Cooling Tech Rally 
Asian Stocks Slide as Central Bank Decisions and Key Data Keep Investors Cautious 
Intel’s Testing of China-Linked Chipmaking Tools Raises U.S. National Security Concerns 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
South Korea Extends Bond Market Stabilization Measures Amid Rising Financial Risks 
Major players in the global food and beverage industry are apprehensively waiting for the World Health Organization's (WHO) impending declaration of aspartame as a possible carcinogen. This widely-used artificial sweetener is a key ingredient in numerous diet drinks, yogurt drinks, and sugar-free gums.
The Korea Times reported that in South Korea, officials said on Sunday, June 2, that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is operating under WHO, is set to classify the said sweetener as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
It was mentioned that aspartame is one of the most popular substitutes to sweeten foods and beverages without adding sugar. It is commonly used in Diet Coke, Diet Snapple, yogurt drinks, chewing gums, and makgeolli in South Korea.
Moreover, in the local market, Pepsi Zero, which Lotte Chilsung Beverage is distributing, also has aspartame as an ingredient. The company has been importing this soda drink directly from PepsiCo's main office in New York and only bottles them in Korea.
"Aspartame has been used by F&B companies around the world for a long time. It is not an issue of an individual company but rather that of the whole related industry, globally. We are currently discussing the matter with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and will wait to see what they have to say," an official at Lotte Chilsung Beverage said in a statement.
If aspartame is classified as a carcinogen, Lotte will suffer great economic damage since sales of Pepsi Zero is likely to drop with the news. Fortune reported that WHO is set to officially announce the results of its evaluations starting on July 14.
Finally, WHO initially said that there is still limited evidence that links aspartame to cancer, and it is the lowest of three categories which are "probable carcinogen" and "carcinogenic to humans."
Photo by: Alexander Grey/Unsplash
