Serious Eaters, Join Me in the Equal-Splenda Taste-Off
The manufacturer of Equal is taking the folks who make Splenda to court over the issue of whether Splenda's advertising can contain the phrase, "made from sugar."
I must admit I switched from Equal to Splenda a couple of years ago in part because I found it comforting that Splenda was "made from sugar." According to the story, whether that statement is technically true is open to scientific interpretation.
Inspired by this tale of marketing and scientific intrigue, I hit my local supermarket to compare prices of Equal, Splenda, and Sweet 'N Low. Here's what I discovered:
50 Equal Packets: $2.79
50 Splenda packets: $2.89
50 Sweet 'N Low packets: $1.49
From a market position standpoint, these prices make sense. Splenda is now the market leader, so it can afford to be the high-priced brand. Sweet 'N Low, a truly terrible, aftertaste-dominated sugar substitute, can only survive by being the low-cost alternative.
I like Splenda a little bit more than Equal, but maybe that's because the "made from sugar" marketing claim infiltrated my brain. I'm going to do an A-B test with Equal and Splenda over the weekend on bowls of corn flakes, and I'll report back on Monday. Perhaps some other Serious Eaters can join me in this experiment.
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8 Comments:
The "made from sugar" lawsuit has been going on for some time now -- at least the pre-press for it. The reasons I choose Splenda over the others are several, the most important of which is that you cannot cook with the others -- they do not hold up to heat. I'm also a die-hard Aktins follower and Splenda is the first widely commerically available sugar substitute that he ever considered acceptable. And I really do think it tastes better.
FKC at 4:00PM on 04/06/07
i agree re: baking, but what i like about splenda is the liquid versions. some of the syrups are BAD, but some are good. caramel for example i think is excellent. i have made some delish panna cottas with them, but i suppose you could just as easily use the powder and reductions or extracts. it also makes great yogurt flavoring. 0% fage (which is thick anyway) + flavored syrup (ie coffee) = pretty good low calorie treat.
Dish at 5:38PM on 04/06/07
If I use a sugar sub on or in anything it is always Splenda.
JEP at 7:21PM on 04/06/07
Splenda for me, no contest. Book recommendation: Rich Cohen's "Sweet and Low." His grandfather invented the sugar packet and Sweet 'N Low, and Cohen does a brilliant job of interweaving the story of this strange family with the history of Brooklyn, sugar, and dieting crazes. Lots of fun, completely engaging.
baboo at 9:06PM on 04/06/07
It's no contest for me either--I use Splenda because, as mentioned above, you can actually cook with it (although it has a tendency to make some baked goods rubbery, a problem I have yet to find a solution for), and it just tastes far and away better than Equal or Sweet 'N Low. I just wish it were easier to find Diet Coke with Splenda!
msmla at 11:24AM on 04/09/07
While I didn't join you in the experiment this weekend, I have dusted some cereal with both of these pseudo-sugars in the past. I find that I most definitely prefer the Splenda to its rivals.
Sweet 'N Low needs to go and Equal doesn't steal the show.
I don't think the "made from sugar" claim has ever had much effect on my preference. Being the devout researcher of EVERYTHING (a longtime habit) I recall hearing that Splenda was really composed of two naturally occurring amino acids that just happen to taste sweet. They do, however, combine to form a new type of chemical so I think any association with the tag "natural" should get quickly discarded.
I personally like sugar; we're buds. But if I notice any tightness around my jeans waist, I'm happy to use Splenda in cooking and/or baking to help cut some calories without too much of sacrifice.
Acme Instant Food at 2:29PM on 04/09/07
Back in college, I interviewed a food science prof who specialized in sugar substitutes for a story comparing the different types of sweeteners and talking about the science behind them. Unfortunately, there's an issue with the paper's archives or I'd look up the story to be sure (it's been a couple years), but I think Splenda is made by replacing some of the hydroxides on the sugar molecules with chlorine. So sure, it's made from sugar, but you're taking in chlorine instead. And I think it's Equal that's made from amino acids.
I have some Splenda at home that I use every now and then, but I tend to stick with sugar (I'm a rare baker and don't drink coffee or tea, so there isn't a whole lot of need for sweeteners in my house). It's definitely better than Equal.
Charise at 4:03PM on 04/09/07
I can't stand either of them, frankly -- at one point I interviewed a rep from the company that makes Splenda, and she told me that an estimated 5% of users experience a metallic aftertaste with Splenda, so I guess I'm one of the 5%. Anyway, FWIW, I am a passionate devotee of WheyLow, which is a sugar sub. that is marketed primarily to industry, but is sold direct to consumers via a website. WheyLow claims to have the same carb-count and calorie-count as Splenda, and to my taste, it tastes and functions (bakes) EXACTLY like sugar, as in no one ever notices the difference. When I was on Atkins, I regularly used WheyLow, and found that, as promised, I stayed in the pink, meaning it didn't have much impact on my blood-sugar. They also have a formulation specific for diabetics -- which I haven't tried -- and "brown sugar" and "maple sugar" formulations, which I'm very happy with. I recommend highly, and no, I don't have any financial dealings with the company, except that I buy a lot of their product.
maggiesara at 10:04PM on 04/09/07