Mon, May 12 2008
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By J.M. Hirsch
The Associated Press
They look like diet sodas. They taste like diet sodas. You just can’t call them diet sodas.
Which doesn’t change the fact that two new lines of low-calorie drinks from Virgil’s and Zevia really are diet sodas and are doing a fine job demonstrating that drinks of this ilk really can be tasty and refreshing.
The issue is their use of stevia, a no-sugar sweetener derived from a South American herb. A morass of federal regulations says stevia (a staple sweetener of the natural foods world) can’t be used in food.
Which is why the new drinks are labeled ‘‘dietary supplement.’’ That may change, as the Coca-Cola Co. says it will push the FDA to change those regulations; the company wants to launch products using a stevia-derived sweetener.
Meanwhile, check out Virgil’s Vanilla Diet Cream, Diet Root Beer and Black Cherry Diet Cream ‘‘supplements,’’ as well as Zevia’s Natural Twist (think 7-Up), Natural Cola and Natural Orange.
n Virgil’s Vanilla Diet Cream, Diet Root Beer and Black Cherry Diet Cream are available online for $9 per 12-pack at www.reedsgingerbrew.com/order/virgilsdiet.asp
n Zevia’s Natural Twist, Natural Cola and Natural Orange are available for $23.99 a case (24 cans) at zevia.com.
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