Introduction/Context: Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in many foods and beverages in the United States. James M. Schlatter accidentally discovered aspartame in 1965 while working on an anti-ulcer drug known as Gastrin (Sofritti et al, 2010). Mr Schlatter licked his finger to take a piece of paper after combining phenylalanine and aspartic acid and found that the mixture tasted sweet (Sofritti et al, 2010). Soon the artificial sweetener, better known as NutraSweet®, was born. The question of whether or not aspartame is safe to consume has become a controversial topic since its discovery nearly 40 years ago. Many myths and accusations circulate on the Internet regarding the side effects of aspartame, but there is a lack of scientific evidence to support such claims. Current reports on the side effects and consequences of aspartame consumption provide conflicting results. Of these reports, aspartame's effects on the liver and brain and its association with lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and leukemia have proven to be the strongest. FDA Approval Process for Aspartame: After the discovery of aspartame, Mr. Schlatler tried to find a company that could mass produce aspartame and apply for its FDA approval as a food additive. The pharmaceutical company GD Searle & Co. agreed to produce aspartame and filed a food additive (FAP) petition for the compound in 1973 (Rycerz & Jaworska-Adamu, 2013). The FAP submitted had to demonstrate that aspartame was safe for human consumption and met its intended use (Government Accountability Office (GAO)). The FAP also addressed the identity and composition of the additive, intended use, labelling, expected effects, analytical methods, safety assessments, proposals... half of the document...nks ( Magnuson et al, 2007). In the United States, a 12 fluid ounce can of diet soda contains 180 mg of aspartame, which would imply that a 165-pound adult would need to consume approximately 21 cans of diet soda to exceed the FDA's ADI (NCI). Conclusion: Although the safety of aspartame remains in question, current scientific reports provide a number of findings. Several studies have confirmed the carcinogenic and neurological effects of the chemical, while others have observed no association. However, the approval of aspartame as a food additive is relatively recent. Therefore, it may take years for all side effects of the drug to be confirmed as dangerous or safe. Furthermore, it is clear that the chemical has potentially serious implications on human health and should therefore be strictly regulated by the FDA to ensure its safety as a food additive..