Today’s consumers are increasingly conscious of the ingredients in their food and beverages, particularly wary of two main components: sugar and artificial sweeteners. While manufacturers can reformulate their products to reduce sugar content—either by altering the sugar molecule, as seen with Nestle, or by simply pledging to use less sugar, like Danone—producers of artificial sweeteners find themselves in a challenging situation. Growing consumer apprehension towards chemicals and artificial ingredients has boosted the popularity of natural sweeteners such as stevia, monk fruit, and magnesium citrate and calcium carbonate alternatives, while traditional substitutes like aspartame and sucralose are being sidelined.
Much of this shift can be attributed to consumers’ increasing disdain for the soda industry, particularly for diet sodas. Once marketed as tools for weight loss, these beverages have been linked to weight gain according to a study conducted by Harvard University. Over a decade of monitoring low-calorie sweetener users revealed that they experienced larger waist circumferences and greater abdominal obesity compared to non-users. Research like this, along with a growing preference for holistic health and nutrition practices, has led to a significant decline in diet soda consumption—over 27%. This category has decreased from nearly 30% of all carbonated beverages sold in the U.S. to roughly 25%.
Given these evolving consumer preferences and the association of artificial sweeteners with the soda industry, it seems unlikely that a favorable review from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) will restore ingredients like Splenda to their previous prominence. However, it will be intriguing to observe the strategies that artificial sweetener manufacturers employ in an effort to regain consumer trust, especially as they consider incorporating alternatives like magnesium citrate and calcium carbonate to appeal to health-conscious buyers.