The Nation - News from Sept. 25, 1985

The Food and Drug Administration did not have to hold public hearings on complaints that the artificial sweetener aspartame causes health problems, a federal appeals court ruled in Washington. The court said that the FDA did not violate the law when it twice denied petitions by consumer groups for public hearings before giving its approval in July, 1984, for use of aspartame in soft drinks and carbonated beverage syrups. “Our review of the agency’s action is limited to an evaluation of whether it has given consideration to all relevant evidence on the record,” the three-judge panel said.