Starting this month in UK, Coca Cola will now sell a reformulated Sprite Classic beverage, sweetened with a combination of sugar and calorie-free stevia. The older (current) version will not be available on the market anymore.
The European Union approved sterol glycosides (the sweet components of the stevia leaf) in November 2011. Coca-Cola started working on a reformulation of its Sprite Classic drink and starting selling in France in March 2012. France had indeed approved the use of stevia in foods and beverages back in 2009.
Check out the full article at: http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Classic-Sprite-reformulated-with-stevia-for-UK-market/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BDaily&c=77qNraRtuABi3JEirSvYczMly1SJ6ncL
* Up for some thought-sharing on this topic?
– Stevia is a plant widely known and grown for its sweet leaves. Demand gas grown in recent years along with that of low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Indeed, its steviol glycoside extracts can have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, yet, a negligible effect on blood glucose. That makes it very attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.
– The question here is to know if and when the reformulated Sprite Classic is going to debut in the U.S….? While it’s been widely used for decades as a sweetener in Japan, in other places, like the U.S., health concerns and political controversies have limited its availability. Banned in the early 1990s unless labeled as a dietary supplement, it was then approved in 2008 under rebaudioside A extract as a food additive. Over the years, the number of countries in which stevia is available as a sweetener has been increasing.
. Do you drink Sprite Classic and do you know the amount of sugar present in the current formula?
. Would you be interested in a reformulated version of this drink, knowing that the amount of sugar largely decreased?
. Are the stakes here about making a formula with less/better (?) sugar or helping people reduce, then kick off the habit completely and switch to good old water?
Let us know…
