NEW YORK (AP) — PepsiCo says it’s dropping aspartame from Diet Pepsi in response to customer feedback and replacing it with sucralose, another artificial sweetener commonly known as Splenda.
The decision to swap sweeteners comes as Americans keep turning away from popular diet sodas. Coca-Cola said this week that sales volume for Diet Coke fell 5 percent in North America in the first three months of the year.
Executives at Coke and Pepsi blame the declines on perceptions that aspartame, first sold under the brand name Nutrasweet, isn’t safe. That’s even though the Food and Drug Administration says more than 100 studies support aspartame’s safety.
Still, PepsiCo says it wanted to listen to its customers.
Andrea Foote, PepsiCo spokeswoman, says the reformulated Diet Pepsi drinks will start hitting shelves in August.
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