STEVIA WONDER

As with the singer, the new sweetener has other names too. Reb-A doesn’t sound very natural, but it is. So – at last, some say – the soft drinks industry has an all natural no calorie sweetener. Many hopes are being pinned on it. • Since December, Pepsi has come out with no calorie SoBe Lifewater 0. • Coke has developed low calorie Sprite Green and Vitaminwater 10 along with new Odwalla juice drinks. • Skinny Nutritional has a no calorie line extension. • Dr Pepper Snapple has made a declaration of intent. Such is the interest that Sprite Green is already heading for Britain. The cost, though, is greater than other intense sweeteners. The taste is apparently by no means straightforward, especially for colas. And it takes quite a sophisticated consumer to go for Lifewater 0 or Vitaminwater 10. So my take is that stevia is a major step in the right direction, but it will require many more launches and successes to make a major impact.