Dive Brief:
- Archer Daniels Midland Company released a new zero-calorie sweetener, VivaSweet Sucralose, which can be mixed in just about any food or drink and even pairs well with other sweeteners.
- PepsiCo Inc. had its own assorted announcements, including a new multi-year contract with Live Nation, for whom the company is now the official carbonated soft drink and bottled water partner. The Live Nation sponsorship had previously been held by Coca-Cola Co. for the past five years.
- PepsiCo also announced a planned $500 million investment in its Egyptian facilities in 2015. The investment is intended to continue growth in a country where PepsiCo saw $1.2 billion in sales in fiscal year 2014.
Dive Insight:
Food, beverage, and ingredient companies have been in the news quite a bit over the past few months for using different sweeteners other than traditional sugar. One low-calorie sweetener from London's Tate & Lyle, called allulose, has 10% of the calories of table sugar while retaining 70% of the sweetness. Coca-Cola Co. released a stevia-sweetened version of its classic drink, Coca-Cola Life, as well as an announced new less-sweetened recipe in Canada. PepsiCo later released its own stevia-sweetened beverage brand, Pepsi True.
As more consumers are turning to diets that are lower in sugar, companies that produce sweet foods and beverages are scrambling to find alternatives to traditional sugar to keep up with consumer demands.