Govt's the problem in less sweet cola

Food Processing Minister asked PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi to cut sugar but it's her government that's blocking a proposal to use stevia

It was their first meeting after she took over as Food Processing Industries Minister. And Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday asked PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi, who is on a visit to India, to bring down sugar content in its products.

But had the minister done some homework, she would have realized that the stumbling block for launching low sugar products has been the government. Two years after clearing the use of stevia –a natural sweetener which is extracted and purified from the stevia plant- in beverages, the government is yet to come out with the notification needed to allow it. And if the beverage companies are to be believed, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which comes out with the guidelines, has been unable to move due to a lack of coordination between the Law and the Health ministries.

Without stevia, beverage companies cannot reduce calories as the minister would like them to do. Because unlike artificial sweeteners (like asperteme), stevia can be mixed with sugar to provide better taste. Globally, this natural sweetener is already being blended with sugar to reduce a cola’s overall calories– a growing demand in many countries as consumers and governments stress more on healthy eating practices . Pepsi, for instance, has launched Pepsi Next which it claims has between 30% (in Canada) to 60% (in the US) less calories than a normal cola in a 335 ml can. That reduction is possible only because of the stevia-sugar mix.

Coke, too, has launched Coke Life in a specially packed green can in markets like Argentina, Chile and the UK and is also planning its launch in the US. In the UK, for instance, a 330 ml can of Coke Life – which uses a combination of 4 grams of sugar with stevia – offers only 89 calories, a 39% reduction than the almost 145 calories in a normal cola with only sugar (there is about 44 calories in 100 ml of Coke) .

The product, though, has not been a raging success as it leaves a bitter aftertaste. And many say that companies like Coke have launched it in the UK primarily so that the company can meet its commitment to the government that they will reduce per-litre calories in soft drinks by 5% in 2014. Of course, they can do so in India too.

Many consumers however, question the Badal’s attempt to dictate what they want. After all, Coke and Pepsi offer a range of products which include diet colas with zero calories, fruit juices, and even bottled water. Yet the reality is that only 1% of its sales come from diet cola. After all, when it comes to making a choice on taste, consumers vote with their wallets.