Pepsi ditches diet drink sweetener over health fears

A CONTROVERSIAL sweetener is being taken out of Diet Pepsi in the US because of safety fears – but it will remain in the British version of the drink.

PepsiCo has bowed to consumer demand i n America after the additive aspartame was linked to a range of health problems.

Diet Pepsi, Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi will now contain sucralose, another artificial sweetener commonly known as Splenda.

The decision to swap sweeteners comes after a decade of plummeting sales for fizzy diet drinks.

Seth Kaufman, vice president of Pepsi, said: ‘Aspartame is the number one reason consumers are dropping diet soda.’

Consumers have shifted away from diet drinks because of perceived health concerns about artificial sweeteners, specifically a s partame – even t hough research has shown it to be safe. The ingredient, which is also used in diet products, has been at the centre of critical reports dating back decades l i nking it to everything from cancer to premature birth.

This is despite assurances from the US Food and Drug Administration stating that more than 100 studies show aspartame is safe. However the studies have failed to convince some, who continue to report adverse reactions such as headaches and nausea after consuming the sweetener.

Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, meaning very little is needed for a sweet taste. It is also virtually non-calorific. In a statement, PepsiCo said: ‘Diet cola drinkers in the US told us they wanted aspartame-free Diet Pepsi and we’re delivering.’

Sales in PepsiCo’s drinks business have been hurt by a l ong- term decline in soft-drink sales in the US.

Coca-Cola said this week that sales for Diet Coke fell 5 per cent in North America during the f i rst three months of the year.

Executives at Coke and Pepsi blame the declines on perceptions that aspartame, which was first sold under the brand name Nutrasweet, is not safe.

A UK Pepsi spokesman said yester-

‘Consumers don’t want aspartame’

day: ‘Consumers in the UK market love Diet Pepsi just as it is today. PepsiCo aims to provide a wide variety of refreshing beverage choices to meet evolving consumer demand, individual taste preferences, market needs and relevant local tastes.

‘Pepsi uses a variety of approved sweetener options ... including aspartame, which remains an important sweetener in some Pepsi beverages around the world, including Diet Pepsi in the UK market.’

Aspartame is as an important component in many low-calorie, sugarfree foods and beverages and is primarily responsible for the growth over the last two decades in the sugar-free market.

The sweetener is consumed by more than 200million people around the world and is found in more than 6,000 products.

These include carbonated soft drinks, powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings, frozen desserts, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.