US soft drinks giant PepsiCo has confirmed it has changed the recipe of the beloved regular Pepsi and Mountain Dew beverages.

PepsiCo has cut the sugar content of the soft drinks and replaced it with low-calorie sweeteners.

It follows changes the company has already made to its Sprite, Fanta and Lift fizzy drinks.

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But the switch to artificial sweeteners has done little to shift the needle on the healthy beverage scale.

Pepsi’s health star ranking has inched only marginally higher since the recipe change, to 1.5 out of 5, compared with 0.5 previously.

The sweeteners used in the new Pepsi blend are 950 (acesulfame potassium or ace-k) and 955 (sucralose).

‘Pepi has lost my respect’

According to Food Standards Australia, sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar, with no kilojoules, while ace-k is 200 times sweeter.

In one study, adults who consumed ace-k were at a higher risk of cancer than those who didn’t.

Studies also found that sucralose can increase risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and cause inflammation due to its impact on at least 14 difference groups of gut bacteria.

When well-known Australian influencer Russ Eats picked up on Pepsi’s recipe pivot, sentiment from his followers was less than positive.

Comments ranged from “Pepsi has lost my respect now”, to how the changes already made to Lift, Fanta and Sprite had ruined those drinks.

Diabetics said they would no longer be able to drink the fizzy beverages to increase their blood sugar levels.

Consumer backlash

This is not the first time a major brand has changed the recipe of an iconic soda.

In 1985, Coca Cola made the infamous decision to change its drink to “new Coke”.

Ironically, Coca Cola changed the recipe in response to demand from focus groups that preferred it to be sweeter like the drink of competitor Pepsi.

Coca Cola did not take into account the loyal minority who vehemently opposed it.

This was only realised when the company received more than a thousand calls a day from consumers who objected to the move.

One psychiatrist, who listened in, said it was as if customers were discussing a family member dying.

The backlash led to media calling it “the most memorable marketing blunder ever”.

Coke was forced to reintroduce the old recipe 79 days after the new brand launch, and sell the two drinks side by side until 2002.

The blunder is now used as a case study in business degrees on how not to rebrand or change a recipe.

Same great taste

The move was “in response to consumers who tell us they are looking for products that contain less sugar,” PepsiCo said.

PepsiCo had “undertaken extensive sensory research” to ensure they were “still delivering the same great taste consumers know and love”.