Diet Pepsi

Pepsi Removes Aspartame From Diet Pepsi .

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Following the wave of corporations responding to consumer activism like never before, Pepsi has announced that it will be removing the artificial sweetener aspartame from its Diet Pepsi product.

pepsi-removes-aspartame

Aspartame, of course, is the artificial sweetener that has been linked to a number of conditions in a wide variety of studies — some of which mega food scientists argue are ‘unscientific.’

Now, instead of debating all of the specifics on these studies, I’m going to reveal to you the reality behind aspartame and why it’s such an amazing thing that it has been removed from Diet Pepsi. Again, this isn’t going to be a pasting debate of studies.

Instead, I’m going to bring you back to 1999. It was then that we learned the true origin of asprtame: genetically modified bacteria waste created by Monsanto. I wrote about this back in a October 2010 piece entitled ‘How is Aspartame Made? 1999 Investigation Finds Aspartame is Made with Genetically Modified Bacteria’, but at the time there was very little interest on the subject of aspartame’s creation in the general public.

Now, we stand at a point in history where consumers are finally starting to realize what they are eating. Or, to quote international best-selling author Bryant McGill:

“We believe we are the consumers, but we are the consumed.”

And I think individuals around the globe are beginning to realize the validity of this quote in a very serious way. Even the senior vice president for PepsiCo recently admitted in an interview with The Salt that no one is buying their aspartame-laden Diet Pepsi brand:

“It’s literally the number-one complaint we’ve heard from diet-cola consumers as to why they’re drinking less and less diet cola…”

Aspartame Swapped for… Splenda?

In the past few months, we’ve seen McDonald’s announce that they will be reducing antibiotics in their livestock, Hershey chocolate company will begin phasing out high-fructose corn syrup, and now Pepsi is removing aspartame. But are these companies truly just concerned about your health?

Instead of changing out these ingredients decades ago when the science was beginning to emerge and these companies were seeing massive resistance throughout the population, they chose to stand their ground on behalf of the bottom dollar profit margins. Having a deep insider view of the manufacturing industry, I can tell you first hand how many major corporations will throw care to the wind over something as small as a 1 cent increased profit per bottle.

With Pepsi announcing that they will be replacing aspartame with Splenda, a sucralose-based artificial sweetener that isn’t much different, it shows their unwillingness to actually venture towards what consumers actually want. Could you imagine if they announced a total revamp of their product with organic-based ingredients replacing their cancer-causing junk chemicals?

 

Diet Pepsi quietly changes sweetener.

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diet_pepsi_skinny_can_ad460287Diet Pepsi is quietly changing its sweetener ahead of a major rebranding of the soft drink set for next month.

The change comes as PepsiCo Inc. looks to reinvigorate its namesake brands after losing market share to Coca-Cola Co. in recent years.

Cans of Diet Pepsi around the country now list a mix of two artificial sweeteners, a pairing that is commonly found in newer diet sodas. Previously, Diet Pepsi used only aspartame, which is sensitive to heat and breaks down more easily.

This summer, PepsiCo had declined to say whether it would go ahead with such a change after reports surfaced that it was testing the new sweeteners. Although the switch is only intended to help prevent the taste from degrading over time, companies are often sensitive to public perceptions that they might be tinkering with major brands. PepsiCo executives likely don’t want to call any attention to the use of artificial sweeteners in the drink either.

When reached for comment Sunday, PepsiCo spokeswoman Andrea Canabal said that Diet Pepsi using the new sweetener mix started hitting shelves in early December. She said the new mix will be more widely available in the coming weeks.

“It’s not like a light switch. It’ll start appearing as shelf space clears,” she said. In January, Canabal said the company is planning a major ad campaign that will include a new logo with a heart and the theme “Love Every Sip.”

The sweetener change will not be explicitly communicated in the ads, which will feature actress Sofia Vergara.

In addition to aspartame, cans of Diet Pepsi found in New York, Omaha, Neb., and the Bay Area now list acesulfame potassium as an ingredient. The ingredient is often used in combination with other artificial sweeteners and can be found in a wide range of foods including baked goods, chewing gum and gelatin desserts.

John Sicher, editor and publisher of the industry tracker Beverage Digest, said the synergistic effect of mixing the two sweeteners is intended to help keep the drink’s sweetening power at a constant level, making it taste fresh longer.

“A change in sweetener does not change the flavor,” he noted.

PepsiCo said in a statement Sunday that it was adding a “very small amount” of acesulfame potassium “to ensure consistency with every sip.” The sweeteners used in Diet Pepsi vary depending on the region of the world.

The move to improve Diet Pepsi comes amid a broader push by PepsiCo to boost sales of its flagship soda. Under pressure from investors, CEO Indra Nooyi earlier this year announced the company would step up investment in its flagship brands.

Already this year, PepsiCo has made several splashy moves including a wide-ranging partnership with singer Beyonce and a multiyear deal with the National Football League to sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show. TV ads for Pepsi have also featured singer Nicki Minaj, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the boy band One Direction and international soccer stars including Lionel Messi.

Whether the efforts will pay off with increased sales remains to be seen. In the latest quarter, PepsiCo said its soda volume in North America fell 2 percent, reflecting the broader decline in soft drink consumption that has plagued the industry since 1998. But the company noted that its share of the market had improved.

For now, Diet Pepsi remains the No. 7 carbonated soft drink with 4.9 percent of the market, according to Beverage Digest. That’s down from 5.3 percent in 2000. Meanwhile, Diet Coke’s share has increased in that time from 8.7 percent to 9.6 percent. Diet Coke, which still only uses aspartame, overtook regular Pepsi to become the No. 2 soda brand in 2010.

Coke remains No. 1 and Pepsi is No. 3.

Still, Diet Pepsi rakes in roughly $5 billion in a year in revenue and remains one of PepsiCo’s biggest moneymakers. The company, based in Purchase, N.Y., also makes Frito-Lay snacks, Tropicana juices and Quaker oatmeal.

It’s not the first time a soda company is tweaking the sweeteners in its drinks; PepsiCo made a similar move with Diet Mountain Dew in 2006, while Coca-Cola did the same with Diet Sprite in 2000.

Source:MSN.