When aspartame was put before the FDA for approval, it was denied eight times. g.d. Searle, founder of aspartame, tried to get FDA approval in 1973. Neuroscientist Dr. John Olney
When aspartame was put before the FDA for approval, it was denied eight times. g.d. Searle, founder of aspartame, tried to get FDA approval in 1973. Neuroscientist Dr. John Olney and researcher Ann Reynolds—hired by Searle himself—found that aspartame was dangerous.
Dr. Martha Freeman, a scientist from the FDA Division of Metabolic and Endocrine Drug Products, declared, “The information submitted for review is inadequate to permit a scientific evaluation of clinical safety.” Freeman recommended that until the safety of aspartame was proven, marketing the product should not be permitted. Alas, her recommendations were ignored.
Despite this, in 1974 Searle got approval to use aspartame in dry foods. Then, in 1975, the FDA put together a task force to review Searle’s testing methods. Task force team leader Phillip Brodsky said he “had never seen anything as bas as Searle’s testing” and called the tests results “manipulated.” Before aspartame actually made it into dry foods, Olney and attorney and consumer advocate Jim Turner f