Classic Sprite reformulated with stevia for UK market

The stevia-sweetened version will completely replace the current Sprite in the UK

The Coca-Cola Company has reformulated its regular Sprite with stevia – and 30% fewer calories – for the UK market, the company has said.

The new Sprite will be sweetened with a combination of sugar and calorie-free stevia and will completely replace the current version of Sprite in the UK, following an earlier reformulation of the drink with stevia for the French market.

EU approval of steviol glycosides – the sweet components of the stevia leaf – was finalised in November 2011, and the Coca-Cola Company introduced its reformulated Sprite with stevia in France in March last year. France had already approved stevia use in foods and beverages in 2009, under a rule that allows member states to approve ingredients for a two-year period.

The new version of Sprite will be available in UK stores from this month, the company said, as part of a wider anti-obesity campaign that includes new adverts “raising awareness of low and no calorie alternatives”.