Corporate Bits | Diet Pepsi with aspartame returning to shelves in US

Diet Pepsi made with aspartame is returning to shelves in the U.S., after PepsiCo saw sales plummet following its reformulation of the drink last summer to remove the artificial sweetener.
PepsiCo says it will offer “Diet Pepsi Classic Sweetener Blend” made with aspartame starting in September, in 12-ounce cans, 2-liter bottles and 20-ounce bottles. The move is intended to appease fans who don’t like the taste of the reformulated drink, which is made with the artificial sweetener sucralose.
But PepsiCo Inc. said Diet Pepsi made with sucralose, commonly known by the brand name Splenda, will remain its primary diet soda offering. Those cans will be silver, while the “classic” Diet Pepsi with aspartame will be come in light blue packaging.
When PepsiCo removed aspartame from Diet Pepsi in August, it said the change was the No. 1 request by customers. Industry executives have blamed the declining sale of diet sodas on concerns people have about the ingredient. Several years ago, Coca-Cola Co. tested ads in select newspapers defending the safety of the sweetener.
PepsiCo’s replacement of the sweetener from Diet Pepsi tested the theory that it was to blame for fleeing customers, but the plan seems to have backfired.
In the first quarter of this year, sales volume for Diet Pepsi sank 10.6 percent, according to industry tracker Beverage Digest.
Diet Coke, which stuck with aspartame, saw volume decline a more moderate 5.7 percent.
Aspartame had been linked to cancer in lab mice, but it is approved for use and the Food and Drug Administration says more than 100 studies support its safety. PepsiCo’s decision to bring back Diet Pepsi with aspartame was first reported by the publication Beverage Digest.

fiat chrysler gearshift probe finds 266 crashes, 68 injuries

A government investigation into confusing gear shifters like the one in the SUV that crushed and killed Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin found 266 crashes that injured 68 people.
The numbers are in documents posted yesterday on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. The agency closed the investigation last Friday after Fiat Chrysler agreed to recall 1.1 million vehicles.
Investigators also found 686 consumer complaints about the shifters and said that Fiat Chrysler received negative customer feedback shortly after the vehicles went on sale. The company also appeared to violate basic design guidelines for vehicle controls with the shifters, according to the agency.
Yelchin, 27, known for playing Chekov in the rebooted series, died June 19 after his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee pinned him against a mailbox pillar and fence at his home in Los Angeles. His Jeep was among vehicles recalled in April due to complaints from drivers who had trouble telling if they put the transmission in “park” after stopping. Many reported the vehicles rolled off after the driver exited.