The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the U.S. has rejected a consumer group’s call for an investigation into whether Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and other manufacturers have falsely advertised artificially sweetened soft drinks and food products. The complaint contends the claim is false and could cause users to actually gain weight. The California-based group, U.S. Right to Know, filed citizen petitions in April asking the agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to stop companies from branding products with the word “diet” if they contain an artificial sugar substitute, including those containing aspartame, the most widely used sweetener. But the FTC said it has “carefully considered” the science of such ingredients and decided to take no action. Mary Engle, the agency’s associate director for advertising practices said “We considered a number of factors related to resource allocation and enforcement priorities, as well as the nature of any FTC Act violation and the type and severity of any consumer injury.”
