New natural PepsiCo product could influence industry shift towards sugar

Sierra Mist Natural, PepsiCo’s reformulated carbonated soft drink product, may indicate a swing towards the use of sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, say two industry analysts.

PepsiCo North America Beverages said that the re-launch this week of its niche lemon-lime soda product was fuelled by growing US consumer demand for natural ingredients, with the drink now positioned as containing 'real sugar' along with no artificial ingredients or flavours, preservatives, or caffeine.

Influence on soft drink industry

“The biggest thing that stands out here is the use of natural sugar,” said Tom Vierhile, director of product launch analytics at Datamonitor.

He added that the Sierra Mist Natural launch could open the door to more formulation of other soft drink brands, encouraging them to embrace sweeteners such as cane sugar and possibly agave and stevia.

Vierhile said that the move to 'natural sugar' has been happening for some time at the high-end of the market with gourmet soft drinks, “but PepsiCo’s move suggests that the soft drink giants may soon be phasing in this change with some of their more niche-oriented product.”

What is Stevia?

Stevia is of the Composite family, related to lettuce, marigold and chicory. It was "Officially" discovered in the late 19th century by Dr. Moises Santiago Bertoni. He was given samples of the plant and he reported that "one small piece of the leaf will keep the mouth sweet for an hour". He named the plant Stevia Rebuadiani Bertoni in honor of a Paraguayan chemist name Rebaudi. Bertoni found that the Guarani Indians had been using the leaves of the plant to sweeten bitter teas and as a sweet treat.

Is Stevia Safe? Stevia has been used since pre-Colombian times with no reports of ill side affects. Stevia has also withstood years of research that has proven Stevia to be safe for human and animal consumption.