Aspartame

The request was partially successful.

Dear Tesco Stores Limited,

Please supply information on why their is Aspartame in most 'tesco' branded squash drinks and 'tesco' branded foods. Even though the ingredient is so detrimental to your health.

Please provide me also the common sense answer to why you are poisoning your customers?

Here is a list of side effects from the ingestion of aspartame:
Eye blindness in one or both eyes
decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
pain in one or both eyes
decreased tears
trouble with contact lenses
bulging eyes

Ear
tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound
severe intolerance of noise
marked hearing impairment

Neurologic
epileptic seizures
headaches, migraines and (some severe)
dizziness, unsteadiness, both
confusion, memory loss, both
severe drowsiness and sleepiness
paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
severe slurring of speech
severe hyperactivity and restless legs
atypical facial pain
severe tremors

Psychological/Psychiatric
severe depression
irritability
aggression
anxiety
personality changes
insomnia
phobias

Chest
palpitations, tachycardia
shortness of breath
recent high blood pressure

Gastrointestinal
nausea
diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
abdominal pain
pain when swallowing

Skin and Allergies
itching without a rash
lip and mouth reactions
hives
aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma

Endocrine and Metabolic
loss of control of diabetes
menstrual changes
marked thinning or loss of hair
marked weight loss
gradual weight gain
aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
severe PMS

Other
frequency of voiding and burning during urination
excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
increased susceptibility to infection

Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all
death
irreversible brain damage
birth defects, including mental retardation
peptic ulcers
aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
hyperactivity in children
severe depression
aggressive behavior
suicidal tendencies

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Epstein-Barr
Post-Polio Syndrome
Lyme Disease
Grave’s Disease
Meniere’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
ALS
Epilepsy
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
EMS
Hypothyroidism
Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
non-Hodgkins
Lymphoma
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

You must want the best for your customers. So why are you blindly poisoning them?

Yours faithfully,

David Phillips

Tesco Grocery Home Shopping,

Thank you for your email to Tesco.

Unfortunately due to adverse weather conditions across much of the country, we are receiving a very high number of queries and are struggling to respond as quickly as we would like.

We are aware that you may have already telephoned us or had your query resolved by visiting a store. If you still require an e-mail response please re-submit your e-mail to the usual address ([email address])

In the meantime, below are the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

Will My Order Be Affected By The Recent Bad Weather?
Whatever the weather we will always make every effort to deliver your order on time.
We are facing some service disruption in the areas most heavily hit by the bad weather although we do expect to fulfil the vast majority of orders on time.
We will notify you by phone or text if we are unable to do this. Sincere apologies in advance for any inconvenience.

When Will I Be Able To Book Christmas Delivery Slots?
Most of our Christmas delivery slots will be open for booking from the 30th of November. As usual each slot will open three weeks in advance.
The Christmas slots will open on a daily basis. For example, on the 30th of November the slots for the 20th December will open, on the 1st of December the slots for the 21st of December will open and so on.
As usual your slot will only be reserved for two hours. To keep the slot you will need to check out your order in this time.
I hope this information helps and although it may be a little early, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas.

I've Requested A Refund But Haven't Received It Yet
The nature of our banking system means that under normal circumstances it may take up to 5 working days for a refund to reach your account.
However, due to the recent bad weather this may take slightly longer than usual.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused by this and let us know if you still haven't received your refund after 14 days.

I've Forgotten My Password
It's quick and easy to request a password reminder using the "Forgotten Your Password?" link. You will find this on the signing in page on Tesco.com.
After entering your e-mail address simply press "Go" and your password reminder will be sent to you.
However, please remember that you will need to enter the email address that is linked to your Tesco.com account.

Many thanks for your patience and understanding at this busy time - we really appreciate it!

Tesco.com

Dear Tesco Grocery Home Shopping,

This request is overdue, you are operating on the wrong side of the law. This is illegal.

Yours sincerely,

David Phillips

Tesco Grocery Home Shopping,

Thank you for your email to Tesco. Due to a high volume of enquiries we may not be able to respond to your email as quickly as we would like.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay that you will experience in the response to your query.

Tesco Grocery Home Shopping

Dear Tesco Grocery Home Shopping,

This request is overdue, you are operating on the wrong side of the law, again. This is illegal.

Yours sincerely,

David Phillips

Tesco Grocery Home Shopping,

I just want to let you know that your email has successfully reached us, and we promise to be back in touch as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Tesco Grocery Home Shopping

Tesco Customer Service,

Dear Mr Phillips,

Thank you for your email.

Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the delay in getting back to you. Please let me assure you that we always try to respond to our customers' queries in a timely manner and I’m sorry that due to high volumes of contact, this has not happened on this occasion.

I’m sorry to hear that you have not received a response regarding your intial concerns of Aspartame. I can understand how disappointing and frustrating this must be for you.

Please be assured that I’m looking into your complaint and I’ll contact you again to give you an update on this issue. In the meantime if I can help you further, please just let me know.

Thank you for your patience.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at [email address] quoting TES9040824X.

Kind Regards

Samantha Attwell
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Phillips" <[FOI #52968 email]>
Date: 19 January 2011
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Aspartame

Dear Tesco Grocery Home Shopping,

This request is overdue, you are operating on the wrong side of the
law, again. This is illegal.

Yours sincerely,

David Phillips

show quoted sections

Peter Glynn Owen left an annotation ()

Hi Everyone,

Please keep on at Tesco as they like to bury their heads in the sand {as to speak} and hope you will go away.

Keep at them.

David Phillips left an annotation ()

I know what a pain in the arse, what the hell has adverse weather conditions got to do with answering my FOI, come on fresco, you piece of sh*t, play the game!

Tesco Customer Service,

Dear Mr Phillips,

Thank you for your email.

Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the delay in getting back to you. Please let me assure you that we always try to respond to our customers' queries in a timely manner and I’m sorry that due to high volumes of contact, this has not happened on this occasion.

In recent years there has been a lot of negative press about the use of
aspartame in food especially on the Internet and in the national media. A lot
of the publicity is not based on scientific fact and is used to scare people
unnecessarily into believing that aspartame will cause a host of diseases from
brain tumours to MS and even death. As with all additives and chemicals used in
food, aspartame has been investigated extensively by scientists and governments
and so far, any links with disease have not yet been proven.

As a company we are very concerned about these claims and we constantly review
any new evidence that might suggest that aspartame is bad for our customers
health. If and when there is a proven health risk in the use of aspartame we
will then fully review the use of aspartame in our products.

In an ever increasing health and weight conscience society the public want a
low calorie alternative to sugar and aspartame has proven the most popular
artificial sweetener to date.

I hope this information helps. Thank you for sharing your views with us.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at [email address] quoting TES9040824X.

Kind Regards

Samantha Attwell
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Phillips" <[FOI #52968 email]>
Date: 19 January 2011
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Aspartame

Dear Tesco Grocery Home Shopping,

This request is overdue, you are operating on the wrong side of the
law, again. This is illegal.

Yours sincerely,

David Phillips

show quoted sections

Dear Tesco Customer Service,

A recent Italian study linked the common ingredient in diet drinks to lymphomas and leukemias. Aspartame was approved in a highly politicized maneuver involving pressure from Donald Rumsfeld, former CEO of Searle, the Aspartame manufacturer. The recommendations of the FDA's own scientific board of inquiry were disregarded by a political appointee to the FDA's top job, Arthur Hull Hayes, who over-ruled that board of inquiry approving Aspartame for sale, and soon after went to work for the PR Agency of Searle, Burson-Marsteller.

Aspartame critics have pointed to the FDA's own adverse events data and asked that the sweetener be taken off the market, but since the "forced" approval of Aspartame, the agency has been extremely reluctant to revisit the science or to even acknowledge the presence of apparently numerous reports of the sometimes severe side effects, such as sudden cardiac death, vision degradation and multiple sclerosis.

Not to mention what aspartame consists of, methanol, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, which breaks down to formic acid is used as a pesticide, formaldehyde is an ingredient used in embalming fluid, diketopiperazine is a brain tumour agent. Nothing but poison, the majority of research done into aspartame, is compiled the very own company that made it in the first place, that is a certain conflict of interest. Independent research has been done, but establishment refuses to acknowledge this, there are countless controlled studies on the side effect's of aspartame, deadly serious side effect's.

"The fact that 320 aspartame fed rats developed six brain tumours by seventy-six weeks indicates an 'incredible and unpreceented occuirence"....Excitotoxins by Russell L Blaylock, MD

Yours sincerely,

David Phillips

Tesco Customer Service,

I just want to let you know that your email has successfully reached us, and we promise to be back in touch as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Tesco Customer Service

Dear Tesco Stores Limited,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Tesco Stores Limited's handling of my FOI request 'Aspartame'.

[ They claim there is no scientific evidence for the deadly side effects of Aspartame, but a quick research would say different. ]

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/as...

Yours faithfully,

David Phillips

Tesco Customer Service,

I just want to let you know that your email has successfully reached us, and we promise to be back in touch as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Tesco Customer Service

Tesco Customer Service,

Dear Mr Phillips,

Thank you for your email.

Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the delay in getting back to you. Please let me assure you that we always try to respond to our customers' queries in a timely manner and I’m sorry that due to high volumes of contact, this has not happened on this occasion.

To clarify our position, some aspartame is produced using GM technology, but aspartame is not itself a GM product. The European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) reviewed the safety of aspartame in 2006, and concluded that “aspartame remains safe for human consumption and that there is no scientific basis for reconsidering its use in foods”. For more details of this review, please visit the EFSA website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/faqs/faqasp...

I have confirmed with our technical team that all the soya and soya ingredients in our own-brand products are traceable back to a non GM crop. Therefore you can be confident that all soya and soya ingredients in our own-brand products is GM free.

I can assure you that all your feedback has been passed to our business support team who will ensure that this feedback is directed to the correct area of the business and I thank you for your comments.

I trust that I have now answered your queries and thank you for your interest in our products.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at [email address] quoting TES9082155X.

Kind Regards

Samantha Attwell
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Phillips" <[FOI #52968 email]>
Date: 27 January 2011
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Aspartame

Dear Tesco Customer Service,

A recent Italian study linked the common ingredient in diet drinks
to lymphomas and leukemias. Aspartame was approved in a highly
politicized maneuver involving pressure from Donald Rumsfeld,
former CEO of Searle, the Aspartame manufacturer. The
recommendations of the FDA's own scientific board of inquiry were
disregarded by a political appointee to the FDA's top job, Arthur
Hull Hayes, who over-ruled that board of inquiry approving
Aspartame for sale, and soon after went to work for the PR Agency
of Searle, Burson-Marsteller.

Aspartame critics have pointed to the FDA's own adverse events data
and asked that the sweetener be taken off the market, but since the
"forced" approval of Aspartame, the agency has been extremely
reluctant to revisit the science or to even acknowledge the
presence of apparently numerous reports of the sometimes severe
side effects, such as sudden cardiac death, vision degradation and
multiple sclerosis.

Not to mention what aspartame consists of, methanol, aspartic acid,
phenylalanine, which breaks down to formic acid is used as a
pesticide, formaldehyde is an ingredient used in embalming fluid,
diketopiperazine is a brain tumour agent. Nothing but poison, the
majority of research done into aspartame, is compiled the very own
company that made it in the first place, that is a certain conflict
of interest. Independent research has been done, but establishment
refuses to acknowledge this, there are countless controlled studies
on the side effect's of aspartame, deadly serious side effect's.

"The fact that 320 aspartame fed rats developed six brain tumours
by seventy-six weeks indicates an 'incredible and unpreceented
occuirence"....Excitotoxins by Russell L Blaylock, MD

Yours sincerely,

David Phillips

show quoted sections

Tesco Customer Service,

Dear Mr Phillips,

Thank you for your email.

Please be assured that I’m looking into your complaint and I’ll contact you again to give you an update on this issue. In the meantime if I can help you further, please just let me know.

Thank you for your patience.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me at [email address] quoting TES9083645X.

Kind Regards

Samantha Attwell
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Phillips" <[FOI #52968 email]>
Date: 27 January 2011
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Aspartame

Dear Tesco Stores Limited,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Tesco Stores
Limited's handling of my FOI request 'Aspartame'.

[ They claim there is no scientific evidence for the deadly side
effects of Aspartame, but a quick research would say different. ]

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/as...

Yours faithfully,

David Phillips

-------------------------------------------------------------------
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http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offic...

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #52968 email]

If you find WhatDoTheyKnow useful as an FOI officer, please ask
your web manager to suggest us on your organisation's FOI page.
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Tesco Customer Service,

Dear Mr Phillips,

Thank you for your email.

Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the delay in getting back to you. Please let me assure you that we always try to respond to our customers’ queries in a timely manner and I’m sorry that due to high volumes of contact, this has not happened on this occasion.

I am very sorry that you remain dissatisfied with the response you received from me. Please accept my sincere apologies for the further disappointment caused.

To clarify our position, some aspartame is produced using GM technology, but aspartame is not itself a GM product. The European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) reviewed the safety of aspartame in 2006, and concluded that “aspartame remains safe for human consumption and that there is no scientific basis for reconsidering its use in foods”. For more details of this review, please visit the EFSA website: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/faqs/faqasp...

I have confirmed with our technical team that all the soya and soya ingredients in our own-brand products are traceable back to a non GM crop. Therefore you can be confident that all soya and soya ingredients in our own-brand products is GM free.

I trust that I have now answered your queries and thank you for your interest in our products.

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to share your further views with us.

Kind Regards

Samantha Attwell
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Phillips" <[FOI #52968 email]>
Date: 27 January 2011
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Aspartame

Dear Tesco Stores Limited,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Tesco Stores
Limited's handling of my FOI request 'Aspartame'.

[ They claim there is no scientific evidence for the deadly side
effects of Aspartame, but a quick research would say different. ]

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/as...

Yours faithfully,

David Phillips

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be
published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offic...

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #52968 email]

If you find WhatDoTheyKnow useful as an FOI officer, please ask
your web manager to suggest us on your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Vanessa left an annotation ()

This is a link to the list of symptoms reported to the FDA in 1995 - http://www.dorway.com/92symptomsfotocopy... it's a shame that Tesco wont take a stand and remove this poison from their products.