Coca-Cola Rolls Out Ad Campaign Defending Use Of Aspartame In Diet Coke

Mothers and daughters love laughing while discussing aspartame.

Mothers and daughters love laughing while discussing aspartame.

In light of sliding soda sales across the board and potential concerns shoppers may have about artificial sweeteners, Coca-Cola is sending Diet Coke out into the world on the wings of a new ad campaign aimed at reassuring customers about the safety of its sweetening ingredient, aspartame.

Eventually the ad will run nationally, and is debuting today in the Atlanta region. The ad reads a bit like a PSA instead of a jazzy piece of work starring celebrities and snappy slogans, notes ABC News. “Quality Products You Can Always Feel Good About” highlights the benefits and safety of low-calorie and artificial sweeteners.

“Time and again, these low- and no-calorie sweeteners have shown to be safe, high-quality alternatives to sugar,” the ad states. “In fact, the safety of aspartame is supported by more than 200 studies over the last 40 years.”

A spokesman for Coca-Cola says that while the discussion about obesity is often at the forefront when it comes to diet beverages, the company knows there are questions about artificial sweeteners.

“We created this print ad to address their concerns and make it easier for them to get the facts,” he said.

When used in moderation, aspartame is safe in food, say certain public health organizations, including the Food and Drug Administration, the American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association, The American Diabetes Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

But other experts disagree that artificial sweeteners are A-OK: Center for Science in the Public Interest, a public health advocacy group, is anti-aspartame.

“Three independent studies have found that aspartame causes cancer. These studies, in our view, are superior to earlier, industry-sponsored studies that found it did not cause cancer because they used a larger pool of subjects and a more sensitive protocol,” said a senior scientist for CSPI.

New Diet Coke Ad Reassures Consumers About Aspartame Safety [ABC News]

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