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NutraSweet Sparks Fake Sugar Color Wars

Posted by Erin Zimmer, May 20, 2008 at 10:45 AM

Image from adage.com

In the sweetener world, pastel colors are very iconic. Pink means Sweet'N Low, blue is Equal, and pale yellow is Splenda territory. Consumers are trained to seek out certain colors when they want certain artificial sweeteners, but NutraSweet could confuse that thought process. Until recently, the brand was just a pepperminty red-swirl of a logo on packaged goods, but as reported by AdAge, NutraSweet has officially entered the $1 billion mini sugar packet industry.

The new product is available in familiar shades of pink, blue and yellow, a color wheel of brand loyalties that corporations have spent years establishing. Couldn't NutraSweet be original and at least pick purple or light green? As AdAge points out, this type of imitation is not exactly flattery for market competitors—it could be a real war for faux sugar moguls.

Post a Comment | Tags: Equal, NutraSweet, Splenda, Sweet'N-Low

Equal (Blue) vs. Splenda (Yellow): We Have a Winner

Posted by Ed Levine, April 10, 2007 at 10:30 AM

Well, I did my Equal vs. Splenda A-B test on a bowl of corn flakes yesterday. Splenda, as most of you Serious Eaters predicted, was the clear winner. I guess the courts are going to decide if the Splenda folks can make the advertising claim that it's made from sugar.

From my vantage point, Splenda actually tasted like sugar going down. Equal was just as sweet but had a slightly odd aftertaste. Not like that awful Sweet 'N Low aftertaste that could cut through Limburger cheese, just an odd metallic aftertaste that was none too pleasant.

From now on our household is going to be Equal-free and Splenda-filled.

4 Comments | Tags: Equal, Splenda, sugar, sugar substitutes, Sweet 'N Low