PepsiCo ditches aspartame from Diet Pepsi in US: ‘While decades of studies show aspartame is safe, we recognize that consumer demand is evolving’

Aspartame will be replaced with sucralose, which is also an artificial sweetener, but has not as much bad press, while acesulfame potassium (ace K) will remain in the formula.

Explaining the thinking behind the move, PepsiCo SVP Seth Kaufman, Pepsi & Pepsi Flavors Portfolio, PepsiCo North America Beverages, said the new formulation was developed "after extensive research and testing with US diet cola drinkers".

He added: “Increasingly, US consumers have been asking for a great tasting cola without aspartame.

“While decades of studies show aspartame is safe, we recognize that consumer demand is evolving and that’s why starting this August Diet Pepsi in the US will be aspartame-free, providing the refreshing and great cola taste cola drinkers have come to expect from Pepsi.”

Aspartame has been deemed safe by all major scientific and regulatory bodies

While aspartame has been deemed safe by all major scientific and regulatory bodies based on analysis of 100+ toxicological and clinical studies, it has repeatedly come under fire from activists and consumer groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which urges shoppers to avoid the sweetener over concerns it may be carcinogenic (click HERE).

Meanwhile, several retailers including Whole Foods feature aspartame on their lists of ‘unacceptable ingredients’ (click HERE); General Mills recently removed it from Yoplait Light (click HERE); and Coke and Pepsi have both launched new lower-calorie colas (Coca-Cola Life and Pepsi True) that use stevia instead of aspartame owing to its more ‘natural’ credentials.

FDA: ‘You have not identified any scientific data… that would cause the agency to alter its conclusions’

However, the FDA says it has been monitoring the scientific data on aspartame since the 1970s and has not seen anything to change its position that it is “safe for the general population except for individuals with phenylketonuria [warning labels about which are mandatory on all products containing the sweetener]”.

In a letter published on October 24, 2014, responding to a citizen’s petition filed by K. Paul Stoller MD, FACHM, the FDA said that Dr Stoller had not provided any evidence to show that current intakes of aspartame exceed the ADI (acceptable daily intake). It also challenged his interpretation of a 2006 study by the European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF) and said it had not received data it had repeatedly requested from the ERF about studies conducted in 2007 and 2010.

It concluded: “Despite your many assertions, you have not identified any scientific data or other information that would cause the agency to alter its conclusions about the safety of aspartame.”

FDA: Anecdotal accounts of adverse effects of aspartame  … are not supported by scientific evidence

In a letter responding to fellow petitioner Betty Martini, founder of Mission Possible World Health International, “which is committed to removing the deadly chemical aspartame from our food”, the FDA said that “anecdotal accounts of adverse effects of aspartame [cited in her petition] … are not supported by scientific evidence”.

Aspartame: There seems to be a gap between perception and reality

From a consumer perspective, meanwhile, aspartame seems to get a bad press regardless of the science, Datamonitor Consumer innovation insights director Tom Vierhile told FoodNavigator-USA last year.

“This is an area of intense controversy and there seems to be a gap between perception and reality. Perhaps because it is an older sweetener that has been on the market longer, aspartame may have attracted more of a negative health perception than sucralose.” 

CSPI: Move should spur other food and beverage companies to abandon aspartame, including Diet Coke

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which has had a long-running campaign against aspartame, said the fact that Diet Pepsi will be specifically marketed as 'Aspartame Free' was "a blunt acknowledgment that consumers have soured on aspartame".

It added:"The new cans should increase consumer awareness even further and spur other food and beverage companies to abandon it (including in Diet Coke)."

While he was concerned that Diet Pepsi would still contain ace K, which he argued was "poorly tested", executive director Dr Michael Jacobson said diet soda still represented a better choice than full sugar soda, however.

"Reformulated or not, diet sodas probably are still a better choice than full-calorie sodas sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup or sugar.  While diet sodas pose small risks, the evidence is strong that regular soda increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, tooth decay and other major health problems."

Coca-Cola said in a statement that it has no plans to remove aspartame from Diet Coke, "America’s favorite no-calorie soft drink."

Read more here: 

• Diet Pepsi reformulation: ‘Does making aspartame the bad guy solve diet soda’s problems? Probably not.’
• Pepsi exec: Aspartame is the #1 reason why US consumers say they are drinking less diet cola
• FDA rejects calls for aspartame ban: ‘No new credible scientific evidence has been presented’