Pepsi drops aspartame from diet line

As of August, PepsiCo Inc. will start selling some diet offerings without the artificial sweetener aspartame in the mix, according to Bloomberg Business.

Diet carbonated beverages affected by the changeover to blend of sucralose and acesulfame potassium are Diet Pepsi, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi.

Pepsi Max and Diet Mountain Dew will retain aspartame as an ingredient.

Company officials said the conversion is caused by consumer backlash against the ingredient, despite assurances from the Federal Drug Administration that there is no proof aspartame poses a health risk.

Volume sales of diet beverages from Pepsi and competitor The Coca-Cola Co. declined 5.2 and 6.6 percent, respectively, in 2014, according to Beverage-Digest. Coca-Cola announced it has no plans to change the formula.

Read more from Bloomberg Business.