Change For The Sake of Change?

Well, the folks at Pepsi-Co have gone and done it again. They've changed the sweetener for Sierra Mist. Where we once had a nice sugar sweetened beverage, we now have a sugar and stevia sweetened beverage. There are lots of complaints rolling in about this unannounced switch. I can't say I've indulged, myself, as I usually only drink Sierra Mist from the fountain and there's no word yet on that having undergone a change. Here's hoping they take the well earned criticisms to heart and change back. If they want a stevia sweetened version then they should follow Coke's lead and make a specific version of the drink and let the market decide if it survives.

Here's a piece from the folks at The Consumerist on the whole matter.

Sierra Mist Getting A Makeover

Here's some good news on the Soda front. Sierra Mist is getting a complete makeover and they're going to ditch HFCS entirely. Sugar will now be their go to sweetener in the Lemon-Lime Soda. Sweet! I happen to like a Sierra Mist every now and again and can't imagine that this will be anything but a significant improvement. Way to go PepsiCo!

PepsiCo is eliminating Sierra Mist in favor of Sierra Mist Natural, which is sweetened with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. The move, which has been in the works for about 18 months, is two-fold. Research showed that brand loyalty in the lemon-lime category is lower than it is in the cola category. And the natural food and beverage category is exploding.

Can't wait to see this hit the shelves. Now, if they'd just put it in glass bottles....