Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Splenda's 'Sugar' Claim Unites Odd Couple

Mood: Relaxed
Eating: home made spaghetti with meat sauce
Watching: Keisha is watching 'Heidi'


The strangest of all political bedfellows held a news conference together on Monday to accuse the company that markets a popular sugar substitute of deceptive advertising.

The president of the National Sugar Association, Andrew C. Briscoe III, joined the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Dr. Michael F. Jacobson, a frequent critic of the association, to make the case that McNeil Nutritionals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, should stop implying that its artificial sweetener, Splenda, is natural because it is made from sugar.

Both the sugar association and Merisant Worldwide, manufacturer of the artificial sweetener Equal, are suing to stop Splenda from making the claim "made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar." They say the phrase misleads consumers into thinking Splenda is natural when it is actually "a highly processed chemical compound."

Source: The New York Times > Washington > Splenda's 'Sugar' Claim Unites Odd Couple

1 comment:

Karen said...

Interesting in this advertising stuff. I'm learning about it in business law. There's a thin line, and what it boils down to, is the "average person" relying on the information. Now, determining who and what the average person is, is the key. Splenda does taste pretty good, but it isn't sugar. Will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Have a great day!