In a bid to boost flagging sales, Pepsi is no longer using aspartame as artificial sweetener. The soda firm instead now uses sucralose.
The new Diet Pepsi with no aspartame - suspected of causing cancer - will be available in stores this week, reports Fox. The change is in response to customer feedback.
Besides Diet Pepsi, other sodas of the company that will use the blend of sucralose are Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi. Its Pepsi True, meanwhile, uses stevia, a plant-based sweetener.
Sucralose is found in yellow packets of Splenda, a brand of artificial sweetener, while aspartame is found in blue packets of Equal or NutraSweet.
Al Carey, Pepsi North America CEO, pointed out at an investor conference in February that diet drinks dragged the beverage manufacturer. Topping consumer complaint is aspartame. He explains, "Aspartame is the sweetener that seems to get most of the negatives in the press and on YouTube," quotes CBS.
The negative public reaction to aspartame stems from a 1970s study that linked the artificial sweetener to cancer in lab rats. However, the federal government said no study links aspartame to risks to human health. Despite Pepsi's decision to replace aspartame, the company still stands by the sweetener's safety, said Pepsi spokesman Elisa Baker.
Other soda makers have not yet announced plans to ditch aspartame which is still being used in Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper and Fanta Zero. Diet Coke sales in April declined 6 percent as more consumers switched to bottled teas and other non-carbonated beverages perceived as healthier options.