Pepsi Raw: Can Pepsi Actually Make Something Natural?

Pepsi recently introduced Pepsi Raw to the UK market, their first new Pepsi drink in ten years. Currently only available in select bars and clubs, Pepsi Raw is promising to be all natural, slightly less carbonated, and less fattening. Why select bars and clubs only? Must be the health conscious customers.

Best of all: no high fructose corn syrup! HFCS has been plaguing sodas for decades. It’s time American soda makers stop using this cheap, highly available, and terribly unhealthy sugar source.

The new drink claims to have 90 calories and have the following ingredients:

• Apple extract
• Plain caramel colouring
• Coffee leaf
• Tantaric acid from grapes
• Gum arabic from acacia trees
• Cane sugar
• Sparkling water

I for one welcome the new Pepsi and hope it spawns a trend in American sodas. Already some other soda makers are using natural ingredients and cane sugar: Boylan’s, Dublin Dr. Pepper, Cricket Cola, and others. There’s no mention when Pepsi Raw will be available in the U.S. I hope it’s soon. In the mean time, at least we can enjoy the ad campaign on the next page.

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