Pepsi To Reintroduce Aspartame In Diet Drinks

PepsiCo has announced it will put aspartame back in some of its diet beverages less than 12 months after it pulled the artificial sweetener over health concerns.

The sweetener has been linked to cancer in laboratory mice and industry executives blamed a decline in sales on concerns consumers have about aspartame.

The company, based in Purchase, New York,dropped aspartame in August last year in a bid to halt a decline in sales of its drinks, including Diet Pepsi.

But the move looks to have backfired after consumers said they were dissatisfied with the change in flavour without the sweetener.

Pepsi MAX will be reintroduced to US consumers in the autumn as Pepsi Zero Sugar and will contain aspartame.

Diet Pepsi Classic Sweetener Blend will contain aspartame in its formula.

But Diet Pepsi will continue to be sweetened without aspartame.

The firm used Ace-K - a blend of sucralose and acesulfame potassium - to sweeten diet drinks after the decision to drop aspartame.