New Pepsi, old problem: US soda sales have lost their fizz

New York

PEPSICO Inc's moves this week mask a harder truth for the soft-drink industry: Soda sales are down no matter how you sweeten it.

Pepsi said on Monday that it's bringing back Diet Pepsi with aspartame. That came after the company replaced the drink with a sucralose version last August. In all, the company will be selling three Pepsi-branded diet drinks - one sweetened with sucralose, two with aspartame.

The US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority say aspartame is safe, and the American Cancer Society says worries about an increased cancer risk are unfounded. Nonetheless, rumours persist, and the consumer push for natural ingredients doesn't…