The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which is the research body of the WHO will declare Aspartame as a carcinogenic substance that can cause cancer in humans. An official announcement will be made next month. Aspartame is found in popular products such as Coca Cola, Mars chocolate and is also sold as a sugar substitute using brands such as Equal and NutraSweet.
IARC however has not announced what level it is still safe for humans to take. This announcement will have an impact on thousands of food and beverage products that currently use Aspartame. It was invented in 1974 as an alternative to sugar but 200 times sweeter. Then in 1984 Aspartame was allowed to be used in food and drinks by the FDA.
It is still unknown what the short-term impact of this announcement will be on the industry. Aspartame cannot be easily replaced with other artificial sweeteners as it would require drastic changes to the existing formula. A few weeks ago Sucralose, another artificial sweetener was also found to cause cancer by a North Carolina State University study. Sucralose is used in health drinks and "sugar-free" diets.