This aspartame interview was granted on 8/30/03 with Rebecca Kang from Singapore:

Interview

Q: How often does an average person happen to consume products with aspartame?

A; Daily in the United States. Aspartame is put into so many different products, consumers are exposed to it without awareness much of the time. Aspartame is in many products NOT labeled sugar-free, such as gums, cereals, ice creams, yogurts, and medications. I also have clients who consume up to a 12 pack of diet colas daily. And keep in mind, that children are consuming more and more aspartame laced products at earlier and earlier ages, which means they will develop health problems at earlier and earlier ages. Henceforth, the onslaught of children`s disease syndromes - diabetes, ADD/ADHD, depression and behavioral disorders.

Q: What is the limit for safe aspartame consumption?

A: None. No human, nor any animal, should intake methanol at any dose at any time - ever.

Q: Aspartame is a very controversial food additive and has alleged harmful effects. However, is there any proof for that accusation?

A: Numerous research studies. Reference Sweet Poison, as I write about the independent research scientists with tangible research results of harm to the fetes and adult laboratory animals. One fact to note: independent researchers have proven over and over again the dangers of aspartame, while the research stating it is safe has been performed by research scientists on `corporate payrolls.` This is not objective research but has the power of money behind it. Independent researchers don`t have the financial backing, so they are pushed out of the spotlight and kept silent.

Q: Would you agree that the public in general is poorly informed about aspartame? If so, what are the possible reasons?

A: Absolutely correct. The reason is money and greed. The pharmaceutical companies own most of the products aspartame is found in, and they also own the advertising entities, and the drugs prescribed for the health symptoms caused by aspartame. Therefore, the same companies who are causing the problem profit from the drugs to mask the symptoms. They control the whole game, and have financial interest in the government agencies responsible for public safety.

Q: We recently did a survey on the awareness of Singaporeans towards Aspartame. Results clearly show that a majority of Singaporeans have no idea what aspartame is. And also a considerable portion would not bother to find out what it is, despite hints that it could be suspicious.

A: Apathy is a danger in modern societies. Too little time, too much pressure at work, and too many conveniences with too little physical effort to get them. People are becoming lazy. The younger generations are becoming lazy, too. If we all would learn from history and from our elders and remember to get back to the basics of living as they once did, the diseases and mental instability caused by the toxins within our environments and our foods would be less today. Money and `things` have become too important. Our health and mental stability are suffering because of it.

Q: As a nutritionist, would you agree that most Singaporeans have little idea about what they eat? If so, what would you advice us to do to increase this awareness in Singapore?

A: We must slow down, get back to the basics of life, and not be sheep lead to the slaughter when it comes to modernized foods and convenience products. Convenience and technology is wonderful, but not to the degree that we can be so easily manipulated and so easily lead down this road of imbalance.

Q: Would you, at all, advise Singaporeans on a need to find out the safety of their food? Or would you trust that to the health authorities?

A: I would not trust the authorities of any country who agree to barter with corporations dealing financial gains at the expense of the pubic. I once trusted our leaders to be fair and truthful, but cannot and do not any more. As I wrote in Sweet Poison, the FDA is not the bad guy in America, and for the most part, governments as a whole are not at fault. It is a chosen few individuals within the government agencies who impose personal reward at the expense of millions of consumers.

If it weren`t for the Internet, none of this information would be public today. Neither you nor I would be sharing this information right now. But as a professor, researcher and educator, I will always believe that it is imperative that all people know both sides of any issue. Truth is freedom. To manipulate the truth is a crime. Make sure your political leaders are not willing to `make a deal` with the larger corporations who profit at the expense of the masses. And also make sure the truth behind aspartame, and any issue, is allowed to be spoken publicly. In America, the wealthy manufacturers pay-off or threaten those who choose to air this information publicly. I have much proof on this.

Q: If there is any other information you wish to add, feel free to include it in the reply for the interview. We might have overlooked some important points.

A: Please go back and reread Sweet Poison, as so much is said within those pages. This issue is real, and not meant to harm anyone (but the pocketbooks of those who gain millions). This information is meant to teach individuals of all cultures the hidden facts and dangers of a manipulated and very toxic food chemical saturating the world`s food supply. Money has bought aspartame its position of power - not quality of goods. People are getting very sick and weak from aspartame. That is true and very real.

Good luck in your quest for perfection, truth, and understanding. Our food supply is a web of confusion in modern times. Money, greed and power are at the root of too many modern foods. Politics interferes with human survival and health. Sad, but true. What do we do? Get back to the basics of eating and drinking so to feed our bodies and our minds what nature intended. Slow down, take time to meditate and get to know yourself. Be happy with who you are and don`t strive for more than you need. To open the door to future health, we must find the keys from the past. There lie the answers of simplicity and health.

There is so much to say on this issue. The roots run deeply into the self, politics, governments, and greed. All you can do is be the best individual you can be, stay unattached to dependencies and quick fixes. Look at the motives of those who push these `drugs` on society and decide for yourself why this benefits you above profit. If you can see no goodness or purity in a product, put it back on the shelf.

And most importantly, teach the children how to get back to the basics of life.....

Wishing you and Singaporeans well. Keep spreading the word about aspartame and always stay open-minded.

Dr. Janet Hull

Read more about aspartame and aspartame symptoms visit the link below:

http://www.sweetpoison.com/