UPDATE: Coca-Cola released astatementon Diet Coke, saying at this time there aren't sweetener changes happening to the soft drink, reiterating safety in all its drinks.
While this is its stance for now, if Diet Pepsi's change brings PepsiCo a strong sales uptick, Coca-Cola might rethink its plan.
Dive Brief:
- 消费者终于做到了:百事可乐将launch Diet Pepsi sans asapartame later in 2015, according to the company.
- Diet Pepsi, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi, and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi will now feature a mix of sucralose and acesulfame potassium in the U.S., moving to shelves come August.
- Diet Pepsi snagged 4.3% of the carbonated soft drink share in the U.S. in 2014, according to Beverage Digest.
Dive Insight:
CNBC notes this will put Diet Pepsi in a new frontier amid its competitors.
"Diet cola drinkers in the U.S. told us they wanted aspartame-free Diet Pepsi and we're delivering," said Seth Kaufman, the SVP of Pepsi and Flavors portfolio of PepsiCo North America Beverages, in a news release.
Considering sluggishsoda sales, this certainly seems to be the right way to go toappease consumers, as this is one of multiple changes happenings in soft drinks, like stevia-sweetened versions from bothCoca-ColaandPepsiCo. Still, PepsiCo's latestearningsreport showed slight revenue growth for PepsiCo Americas Beverages.
