Pepsi Next
 . | |
| Type | Mid-Calorie Cola, and 60% less sugar |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | PepsiCo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced |
2011 (In test markets) 2012 (Full launch) |
| Related products |
Pepsi Edge Pepsi ONE Pepsi Max G2 |
| Website | pepsi.com |
Pepsi Next, (stylized as pepsi next), is a cola-flavored carbonated soft drink, sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, sugar, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose,[1] produced by PepsiCo, and marketed toward drinkers of its full-calorie Pepsi, and those who do not enjoy the taste of Diet Pepsi, Pepsi ONE, Pepsi Max, and other diet colas.
The Australian Pepsi Next is sweetened using an extract from stevia and has no artificial sweeteners. It is marketed as having "30% less sugar".
On June 25, 2013 PepsiCo informed their Facebook readers that the new formulation of Pepsi Next no longer contains aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in many diet soft drinks including Diet Pepsi, hence some bottles sold in the US read 'aspartame free'.
About and inception
Pepsi Edge, Pepsi's first mid-calorie cola, was introduced in 2004, and discontinued only two years later.
PepsiCo, towards the end of the 2000s found new interest in mid-calorie beverages, and then released G2, a version of Gatorade with less than half the calories, and in the year 2011, Trop50, a juice blend, with 50% the calories of regular juice.
In September 2007, PepsiCo filed for trademarks in the US Patent and Trademark Office, for "Pepsi Next", and "Diet Pepsi Next".
In 2010, PepsiCo began to test Pepsi Next via market research groups.
And in June 2011, PepsiCo announced that Pepsi Next was going to be moved into two test markets, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
After testing, on February 27, 2012, PepsiCo announced the launch of Pepsi Next.[2]
In the Australian market, Pepsi Next is bottled by Schweppes Australia and is sweetened by stevia which reduces the sugar content by 30% compared to regular Pepsi.[3]
In Europe, Pepsi Next was first introduced in France in March 2013. it uses stevia extract, like the Australian one.
Reception and taste
One site stated that, Although it contains three artificial sweeteners and has 60 percent fewer calories than regular Pepsi, it’s really hard to taste anything “diet” about Pepsi Next. But it’s not quite like regular Pepsi; it’s less syrupy and smoother. There are also differences in flavor between Pepsi Next and original Pepsi. I thought Pepsi Next had a slightly stronger cola flavor and, for some reason, my taste buds perceived a hint of lemon.[4]
According to the BevReview, the initial taste of Pepsi Next is similar to original Pepsi, but this is followed by the less pleasant taste of artificial sweeteners.[5]
Aborted cells are used in the development of artificial flavor enhancers by biotech company Senomyx[citation needed], with which PepsiCo signed a four-year, $30 million agreement in 2010 for research and development. No Pepsi products containing Senonymx flavor enhancers should be expected until 2013.
Senomyx develops patented flavor enhancers by using “proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems.” These receptors are made from HEK293. HEK stands for Human Embryonic Kidney cells. These cells, which were cloned, originally came from healthy, electively aborted human embryos. Using information from the human genome sequence, Senomyx has identified hundreds of taste receptors and currently owns 113 patents on their discoveries.
A little more on those taste receptors from cogforlife.org, which originally made the connection between PepsiCo, Senomyx, and aborted cells:
These… taste receptors… produce a chemical signal that lets Senomyx researchers know they have achieved the exact flavor they are trying to develop.
The Pepsi Company, is facing a more robust boycott as pro-life activists protest the company use of cells derived from an aborted fetus in flavor-enhancing research. But Pepsi has succeeded, with help from the Obama Administration, in keeping its controversial operations from consideration by its shareholders.
In a decision delivered Feb 28th, President Obama’s Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruled that PepsiCo’s use of cells derived from aborted fetal remains in their research and development agreement with Senomyx to produce flavor enhancers falls under “ordinary business operations.”
The letter signed by Attorney Brian Pitko of the SEC Office of Chief Counsel was sent in response to a 36-page document submitted by PepsiCo attorneys in January, 2012. In that filing, PepsiCo pleaded with the SEC to reject the Shareholder’s Resolution filed in October 2011 that the company “adopt a corporate policy that recognizes human rights and employs ethical standards which do not involve using the remains of aborted human beings in both private and collaborative research and development agreements.”
Marketing
After the launch of Pepsi Next, a television commercial was launched that depicted a young couple, enjoying Pepsi Next.
Eva Longoria, Paula Patton, and Nicki Minaj all have been brand ambassadors for Pepsi Next. Paula Patton has filmed a television commercial for Pepsi Next, as has Nicki Minaj.[6]
A series of Internet and print ads were made, with a picture of a can of Pepsi Next, with the words: Real Cola Taste, 60% Less Sugar, Drink It To Believe It.
See also
- Pepsi Edge The mid-calorie cola that preceded Pepsi Next, was considered a failure, and was discontinued after two years
- Diet Pepsi The original diet cola version of Pepsi
- Pepsi Max A highly caffeinated diet cola.
- Pepsi ONE A different diet cola, with one calorie and sweetened with Splenda
References
- ↑ http://www.pepsicobeveragefacts.com/infobyproduct.php?prod_type=1026&prod_catg_id=1062&brand_fam_id=1051&brand_id=1000&product=Pepsi+NEXT
- ↑ Miller, Mark J. (27 February 2012). "Pepsi Expand Mid-Calorie Brands With 60 Calorie Pepsi Next". BrandChannel. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ↑ "PepsiCo rolls out cola with stevia in Australia". Wall Street Journal. Associated Press. September 25, 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012. "NEW YORK — PepsiCo Inc. is launching a reduced-calorie soda in Australia that uses stevia, the first time the beverage maker is using the natural sweetener in its namesake cola. The Purchase, N.Y.-based company says the drink, called Pepsi Next, is also sweetened with sugar and has 30 percent fewer calories than regular. The rollout follows the launch of Pepsi Next in the U.S. earlier this year.That version has about half as many calories of regular at 60 calories per can, but uses a mix of artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup."
- ↑ Marvo (25 March 2012). "Review: Pepsi Next". The Impulsive Buy. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ↑ Tanner, Steve (29 March 2012). "Review: Pepsi Next". BevReview. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ↑ Wilson, Julee (10 April 2012). "Paula Patton Gets Gorgeous For Pepsi NEXT And Lands Role With Denzel Washington". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
External links
- Pepsi Next on Facebook
- BevReview Review of Pepsi Next
- Pepsi Official Website
- Official Press Release About Pepsi Next's Nationwide Release
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