New Book By Dr. Hull!

Splenda^®: Is It Safe Or Not?
Dr. Janet Hull reveals the scientific evidence strongly suggesting the chemical sweetener sucralose may harm your body. Visit Is Splenda Safe.com for more information!

Splenda, the Artificial Sweetener, Adds a Brown Sugar Blend

By MELANIE WARNER

Published: April 4, 2005

Splenda, the popular artificial sweetener, is going brown.

The manufacturer of Splenda, the brand name given to the chemical sweetener sucralose, is releasing a version that can be used as a replacement for brown sugar. It will be called Splenda Brown Sugar Blend.

"People can use it for baking their favorite recipe or sprinkle it on top of cereal the same way they would use brown sugar," said John Leahy, marketing director for Splenda at McNeil Nutritionals, the division of Johnson & Johnson that sells and markets the sweetener.

Made from a blend of regular brown sugar and sucralose that has been colored brown, Splenda's brown sugar will give consumers a 50 percent reduction in calories because a smaller amount will be needed for baking and other purposes.

For instance, if a recipe calls for one cup of brown sugar, Mr. Leahy said, only a half-cup of Splenda brown sugar will be necessary. Splenda brown sugar will come in one-pound and two-pound bags when sales start in September.

The popularity of Splenda took its manufacturers by surprise last year. In November, Tate & Lyle, the British ingredients company that makes sucralose, told its customers that its supply of sweetener would have to be rationed because of high demand. McNeil markets Splenda in the United States under a contract with Tate & Lyle.

Over the last year and a half, nearly every major food company has incorporated sucralose into one or more of its products. Both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have opted to use the sweetener for new colas. This month, for example, Pepsi is introducing PepsiOne with Splenda and Coke will make a new version of Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda that will be in stores in several months.

Splenda brown sugar is likely to add to the legal debate brewing over Splenda's marketing campaign. The Sugar Association, which represents the sugar industry; Merisant, the maker of the aspartame-based artificial sweetener NutraSweet; and a lawyer in San Diego have filed lawsuits against McNeil contending that Splenda's marketing misleads consumers.

"The average consumer assumes that Splenda is related to sugar," said Howard M. Rubinstein, the San Diego lawyer. "They're exploiting the fear some people have around other artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet and presenting this as a more natural alternative."

Mr. Leahy said that its marketing for the new brown sugar product would "remain consistent with Splenda's existing brand communication."

Neither the Sugar Association, based in Washington, nor Merisant, which is based in Chicago, would comment. If Splenda brown sugar catches on with consumers, it is likely to accelerate the decline of old-fashioned sugar. Sales of both white and brown sugar in the United States have been declining for years. Sales have dropped 10 percent since 1999, Mintel International, a research firm based in Chicago, has reported.

Posted on April 4, 2005 in News | Link To This Entry | Comments (2)

Comments

Posted by: Mansi Dhaka on May 12, 2005 6:29 AM

 

Posted by: Sue Mowry on July 21, 2005 1:07 AM