Diet Rite Switches Sweeteners
Industry watchers say it also gives the nearly 40-year-old brand something to talk about as it competes for consumers' attention with the sugar-free heavyweights backed by deep-pocketed rivals Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes.
"This is the only major diet soft drink in the country without aspartame," said Jeffrey Spencer, senior vice president of marketing for Royal Crown Co., a unit of Triarc Beverage Group (White Plains, NY).
He said the company wasn't suggesting there is anything wrong with aspartame although he noted that beverages with the ingredient must carry a cautionary note for people with the rare genetic disease phenylketonuria.
Although this combination is unique, other soft drinks use sweeteners other than aspartame. Pepsi-Cola Co., for example, uses a blend of ace-K and aspartame in Pepsi One introduced in late 1998. Coca-Cola Co. added ace-K to the aspartame in its Diet Cherry Coke, Diet Sprite and Fresca brands in 1999. Royal Crown already uses sucralose as the lone sweetener in its Diet RC Cola, a sister brand to Diet Rite. Diet RC, which is available in less than half the country, saw its sales surge 33% last year, Spencer said.
Diet Rite shipments containing the new blend are expected to reach stores in 90% of the U.S. by the end of March 2000.
Edited by Scott Hegenbart