Capri Sun Replacing High-Fructose Corn Syrup With Sugar In Original Drinks

Some familiar Capri Sun drinks will be switching up ingredients soon, with Kraft Foot Groups announcing that it’ll be tinkering with the formula for its original Capri Sun drinks as more parents push for more natural ingredients in kids’ beverages.

The company announced today it’ll be dropping high-fructose corn syrup in favor of sugar in original Capri Sun beverages, which will also cut the calories in each pouch from 60 to 50, reports Reuters. The drinks started shipping to retailers this week and should be on shelves soon.

Another product will also see a change, with Kraft substituting plant-based stevia leaf extract for sucralose in its Roarin’ Waters line of “lightly fruit-flavored” water beverages.

Health advocates have criticized food companies for continuing to market sugary drinks to children, citing health risks like obesity and diabetes.

“What prompted us to do this is consumers were asking for it,” Greg Guidotti, Kraft’s senior director for ready-to-drink beverages said. “We saw some areas where we want to improve.”

But simply replacing sweet ingredients isn’t going to make the drinks healthier, Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University tells Reuters.

“It seems more of a response to public perceptions that sugar might be better than high-fructose corn syrup and stevia might be better than sucralose,” she said. “The scientific evidence hasn’t shown that to be the case.”

This isn’t the first time Capri Sun has changed in response to consumer demand: Last year Kraft launched clear-bottomed pouches for the drinks after customers complained about finding mold in the original silver opaque packaging.

Kraft changes sweeteners in some Capri Sun products [Reuters]

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